Two stories broke today, which, for whatever reason were the straws that broke me.

Variety: Jeremy Allen White Joins ‘Star Wars’ Film ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu’ as Jabba the Hutt’s Son

Jeremy Allen White has joined the “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian & Grogu” as the voice of Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta the Hutt, Variety has confirmed. The project marks the first major franchise for the actor following his Emmy-winning breakout role on the FX series “The Bear.”

The Wrap: Chris Evans Sets Marvel Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ | Exclusive

Chris Evans is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the cast for “Avengers: Doomsday,” the highly anticipated sequel that will also star Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, The Wrap has learned exclusively. Evans will be involved in some capacity, but the extent and exact nature of his role is unknown.

I grew up as a latchkey kid. Single mom, only child, you get a lot of time to yourself. And I threw myself into the worlds of comics and movies. They showed me the powers of creativity, the magic of filmmaking, the intricacies of line art, taught me lessons about color and light.

I’d devour any of it. Watching movies on cable lead to renting movies from Blockbuster. Renting movies led to buying movies. Buying movies lead to buying more movies (I had roughly 1000 Blu-Rays + DVDs at a point). Reading comics lead to reading Wizard Magazine. Reading Wizard lead to learning about all the amazing and creative things being done at all the comic companies. Just like with directors, I learned to follow writers and artists to their next thing.

I don’t say this to be dramatic or a bummer, but they were my world. A child of divorce, who struggled to socialize, I lost myself in the 4-color worlds of Marvel, DC and Image, and the big screen adventures that hit every weekend.

Then I found my people, fellow nerds who knew more movie quotes than extended family members names, who loved to rank and talk and share and recommend and debate all of this.

Somewhere in here, the comics started hitting theaters again. Tim Burton’s Batman was a near religious experience for me as an 8 year old, but that seemed the exception to the rule. Until X-Men hit. Until Blade hit. Until Spider-Man hit.

My loves were colliding. And what’s that, more Star Wars too? Sure, the prequels were flawed, but they were more of something I loved. Giving me something new from a world that had more or less helped to define my love of movies.

Iron Man hits. Robert freakin’ Downey Jr. as Iron Man? No way. Wait, what’s this about an Avengers project? It ties into that new Hulk movie? No way they got Chris Evans to be a superhero again, I loved that dude in Scott Pilgrim. Paul Rudd(!!!) as Ant-Man with Edgar Wright behind the lens? Holy shit.

And now Disney owns them. And they’re gonna own Lucasfilm too? Wait…more new Star Wars? And they’re gonna try to make up where the Prequels failed. Interesting. Can they? Wow, Force Awakens was a lot of fun. Rogue One, what a flick.

And the saturation came. I didn’t need to special order comic book shirts from Diamond Distributors by way of my local comic store, I didn’t need to go to comic cons, I could just go and buy representations of these things which were the fabric of me at my local goddamned Target? How cool. Phases? TV Shows? Streaming? More? More? MORE? MORE??

…and…I think they’ve gone too far. And I can’t help but feel like I’m a bit at fault.

Not me specifically, but who I am. As has been said before, “The Nerds Won”. Nerdy things don’t make you outcasts, they make you accepted, as I longed to be and eventually was. And there’s always more.

But…it’s not the new. It’s not the different. It’s not the daring.

That Star Wars prequel? Outshined by The Matrix that year, a radically different, unique, original idea that inspired the next generation after me, in ways both in terms of filmmaking, and making people think differently about themselves and the discomfort they feel.

…is it any wonder they did two more? And a fourth, over a decade later?

We’re at a phase where these things I love are just being reheated and re-served to me. Look at the archives of this blog, I was excited about these things along the way. I’m still excited for some things (I really want to see a trailer of James Gunn’s Superman quite badly). But I can’t help but feel like the magic is going away.

The headlines above, while real, they feel like they were slapped together by AI. [ACTOR OF NOTE OR FORMER STAR OF FRANCHISE] Joins [INSERT FRANCHISE WHO NEEDS HELP] as [CHARACTER]. These aren’t the first, they won’t be the last. We’ve got Robert Downey Jr. returning as…Doctor Doom for some reason. Apparently we’re getting a whole slew of actors we know and love…to just do Harry Potter again, but longer. We’re getting more Lord of the Rings and they might just be making them up this time.

I’m 40 years old. Maybe I’m aging out. Or maybe Hollywood needs to realize…they can’t keep marketing to me.

I mentioned above how much comics have meant to me. They went to a fandom to a side hustle to a second career. And if you step in a comic store, you know what they’re doing now? Selling more variant covers of every issue to the same, older growing audience. And raising the price, to see what the ceiling can be. They’re marketing to me and people like me, again and again and again.

There are flashes of hope. Every so often there’s a Saga or a Walking Dead or a Dawnrunner or *Do a Powerboat!*that shake things up for comics and give us something new. Every so often there’s a movie out there which gives us a wholly unique experience and reminds us what we love about movies.

But they’re not coming everywhere. We’re afraid to take swings, we’re afraid to try and fail, we’re afraid of New. We’re afraid of Different. We’re afraid of the old tricks not working. And maybe, the real issue is: we’re afraid of becoming old.

Let the next generation take over and make new things. It’s how we got here in the first place. Whether it was Stan Lee and Jack Kirby using the social changes of the 60’s to create flawed comic book heroes, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird self publishing a Daredevil parody with turtles in the 1980s, George Lucas using the cache of the success of his 50’s greaser movie to cash in and make a new version of the sci-fi serials he loved, but for the modern day…these were risks. These were creatives. These were people who wanted to make something new, first for themselves, and then found how it reverberated with likeminded folks.

I don’t need to be blanketed in the safety of what was. I’m longing for the challenge.

This is rambling and turning into almost a “Comics and Genre Movies are Dead” version of the speech Jeff Daniels gives at the beginning of The Newsroom, so I’m going to tie this together.

Could these movies be good? Sure. Will I see them? Likely.

But will they inspire? Will they make people want to make their own films at home? Will they make someone say “I have a story and I need to tell it”?

I don’t know. Because right now, it all looks like just another gig for a paycheck. Another instance of confirming shareholder value and maximizing the use of legacy IP or whatever rambling shit the heads of these studios are going to tell people on investment calls. But it’s not adventurous. And we could all use an adventure right now.

While I miss ThinkGeek for a multitude of reasons, not having them as the perfect White Elephant gift shop sure stands out this time of year.

Say what you will about the rest of the movie, but the opening of Tenet absolutely rules.

I’m not a big follower of YouTube personalities, but in recent weeks, I’ve become a big fan of Kyle Bosman’s Delayed Input. Clever, funny, insightful video game industry commentary every Friday. Here’s this weeks. Maybe you’ll dig. And stay during the credits.

When I read stupid comments like those in the press from the CEO of OpenAI or the head of the Los Angeles Times, I ask myself: where do they get their confidence? I will spiral if you give me an odd look in conversation, and they’re getting whirlwind dunked by the internet and shrugging it off.

I’m not sure why this wasn’t available day one, but you can now watch the linear HBO networks on Max.

This little app, Festivas, sounds like a great addition to run on your Mac this holiday season.

It’s got a weird-ass name, but I am throughly excited for a new Gundam series as co-written by Hideaki Anno (Evangelion).

Add The Ringer to the list of websites who after a visual revamp, completely killed off their RSS feeds. Woof.

I think the My New Character/Chill Guy meme is the fastest I’ve turned on a meme. Indifference to loathing in days flat.

I had to double check this link like, three times. Drake is now in the midst of TWO lawsuits with UMG regarding “Not Like Us”. What a chump.

Anyone else just have a micro panic attack about these incoming tariffs, and how they may render the economy as such that we’ll all, universally, lose everything?

…Just me?

Larry Fitzmaurice, Hearing Things:

The start of the 2010s saw a steady rise in visibility for indie musicians that encompassed high-profile TV performances and the occasional collision with real-deal pop superstars. (The “rock” part of “indie rock” was partly left behind along the way, for marketing purposes.) Regardless of whether the artists involved were turning a meaningful profit, the smell of success was in the air. Indie’s boom period was, as Kevin Krauter of current Indianapolis indie rockers Wishy describes it, “an era where a popular indie band looked like they had it fucking made.”

It didn’t last. Indie’s commercial decline began to sink in around the mid-2010s—a point when music publications’ collective influence was waning, and streaming services took over as passive tastemakers looking to cut corners on artist royalties, resulting in the decimation of the music industry’s middle class. Then came the pandemic and its ripple effects, including increased touring costs and the persistent threat of canceled shows due to COVID cases. It’s all led to an indie business landscape that’s particularly inhospitable to emerging artists looking to establish careers off their work.

A really in-depth and eye-opening article at the struggles the “middle class” of music are facing these days. Honestly, it’s hell for any sort of creator now. So many platforms, so many responsibilities, none of them related to Doing The Work.

I really can’t say I know the fix here. I sure hope we can find one.

One could argue for Star Wars: Visions as the best post-Disney acquisition work next to Andor. So, suffice to say, I am excited about a 3rd season.

I made the mistake of making myself spicy ramen for lunch today. I kinda wanted to die for a bit there.

Justifiably happy about the surprise guest on this week’s Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast.

Now, did I expect to spend my Sunday evening just chatting about the world for three hours with my mother? No, no I didn’t. But if yours is a situation where you can, and you’d want to, I recommend it. Sounds like middle aged person advise, but, still, recommend it.

Gimme that Bigfoot emoji, ASAP.

Do you think the team at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is cursing the fact that The Onion got InfoWars before they could?

Dope, Mythic Quest is back (finally!) in January.

Not a hoax! Not a what if! Not an imaginary story! The Onion has acquired Infowars. A suitable fate for a miserable joke of a site.

OK, two issues in, I can say confidently that Absolute Batman is some VERY ridiculous comics and it’s all the better for it.

Amazon sez: “You want your low-priced crap in bulk? We’ll give you low-priced crap in bulk!” What a waste.

OH SNAP, CRUNCH TATORS ARE BACK. (Judge if you want, but after last week, I need to embrace small joys like this.)

Oh man, I had no idea James Acaster had filmed a new special, let alone that it was going to be on Max next week. Sweet deal.

For those who may be following me on all the new social sites: You should expect pretty much the same content on each, so if you don’t want to follow me on one, that’s totally A-OK! Threads will get the least, as micro.blog doesn’t cross-post there automatically. Yet.

Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline:

Lucasfilm has closed a deal with Simon Kinberg to develop a trilogy of Star Wars films. Kinberg will write the trio, and produce them with Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy.

I heard this will comprise episodes 10-12 of The Skywalker Saga that began with George Lucas’s 1977 first film that along with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws reshaped the global blockbuster game. Insiders disputed my intel that Kinberg will continue that storyline, saying this will instead begin a new saga, and sit alongside Star Wars percolating projects with James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi and Donald Glover. As usual, Lucasfilm and Disney are not commenting.

It really says something that in the year 2024, not only am I not excited in any way, shape or form about a new Star Wars project, but also: I highly doubt that it will be made.

Meet your new friends in the pile, New Kinberg Trilogy: Boba Fett Movie, Game of Thrones Duo Trilogy, Rian Johnson Trilogy, Kevin Feige Movie, Guillermo Del Toro Jabba The Hutt Movie, and surely, more to come…

make me eat these words, disney.

Fuck.

I appreciate that this is a good use of Live Activities on iOS, but GOOD LORD I COULD NOT WANT ANYTHING LESS THAN LIVE, ONGOING ELECTION NUMBERS STARING ME IN THE FACE EVERY TIME I LOOK AT MY PHONE

OK, just…like, 48 hours until we’re past all this, right?

I’ve never found a bandwagon I didn’t enjoy jumping on, so, what the hell, I’m in for this #WeblogPoMo AMA (Ask Me Anything) gimmick. Fire some questions away, gang.

Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline:

The Lego Group under its deal with Universal Pictures is making three untitled live-action movies with directors Jake Kasdan, Patty Jenkins and Attack the Block filmmaker Joe Cornish.

Huh.

Universal’s been working on these movies with a five year deal signed in 2020, so I guess this is the “show your work” phase of things. A few elements stand out.

1. Patty Jenkins, once again tied to a franchise movie, after seemingly being put in director’s jail since Wonder Woman 1984 and her Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron being in development hell.
2. Jake Kasdan being announced, though he’s got to now rush out a new Dwayne Johnson-lead Jumanji movie for the end of 2026
3. Joe Cornish being attached, who — since debuting so strongly with Attack the Block — has been attached to a lot of projects, only really producing the under-seen The Kid Who Would Be King and the mostly forgettable Lockwood & Co. show for Netflix. Sure, he scripted the great Tintin movie, and was half responsible for the Edgar Wright-era Ant Man script, but, besides that, it’s just been rumored project after rumored project.
4. Live-Action? Really?

I don’t know if I’m a pessimist, but something about this reeks of “Oh crap, we need to show LEGO we’re working on something so they renew our deal next year.”

But maybe I’m wrong and these movies will be good.

One of my side-gigs is that I produce, and co-host a live art competition event called Super Art Fight.

We just completed and posted a new explainer video for our event. I did the VO for the video, too. Check us out!

Nintendo releasing their music library over time in their own dedicated app – which you need a Switch Online subscription for – is the most Nintendo-assed thing.

Samantha Cole, 404 Media:

But many stayed at Automattic even though they didn’t agree with Mullenweg’s actions, telling 404 Media they remained due to financial strain or the challenging job market. Several employees who remained at the company describe a culture of paranoia and fear for those still there.

“Overall, the environment is now full of people who unequivocally support Matt’s actions, and people who couldn’t leave because of financial reasons (and those are mostly silent),” one Automattic employee told me.

The current and former Automattic employees I spoke to for this article did so under the condition of anonymity, out of concerns about retaliation from Mullenweg.

What an absolute mess. Feeling all the happier I moved everything to Micro.blog earlier this year.

I find it somewhat ironic that Matt Mullenweg so regularly attacks David Heinemeier Hansson from 37signals, when they both now have absolutely shown their ass online, offered buyouts, and are stunned to see just how bad they screwed up with their employees.

Fix your shit, Matt.

Huw, Brickset:

Today, the LEGO Group reveals the launch of the LEGO Marvel X-Men: The X-Mansion Buildable Set. Get ready to answer Professor X’s call as this set will telepathically transmit you straight into the LEGO brick heart of the X-Men universe.

With 3,093 pieces, this immersive, creative construction project gives adults a chance to unwind and lose themselves as they build a lasting model of an essential and recurring part of Marvel’s much loved X-Men stories: The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.

After many, many leaks the last few weeks, LEGO confirms the most poorly held secret in some time and has officially revealed their latest massive scale set – the X-Mansion from X-Men.

Some of the rooms look a little small, and the $330 price is quite eye-watering, but if you’re a fan of X-Men, it’s hard to not want to get one of these.

I’m sure someone out there will have this, the Daily Bugle set, the Avengers Tower and the SHIELD Helicarrier to have a massive Marvel LEGO Universe in their home.

Netflix on YouTube:

Set in the aftermath of a robot uprising in an alternate version of the ’90s, The Electric State follows an orphaned teenager who ventures across the American West with a cartoon-inspired robot, a smuggler, and his sidekick in search of her younger brother. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Norman, with Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci. Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo and Alan Tudyk join the cast in voice roles. THE ELECTRIC STATE premieres globally on Netflix MARCH 14.

If nothing else, they’ve nailed the aesthetic of the original book by Simon Stalenhag. We’ll see how the script works out.

I do have to admit, I laughed pretty hard at The Gray Man being listed alongside all those Marvel movies as if it was an equivalent success by the Russo Brothers. Keep trying, Netflix, keep trying.

Heidi McDonald, The Beat:

Marvel is going big on a smaller size – tonight ahead of NYCC they announced the launch of the MARVEL PREMIER COLLECTION, a reader-friendly sized line of reprints of Marvel’s greatest hits.

Like DC’s Compact Comics – which have been a smash hit with retailers and readers – the Premier Collection will be in the 6"x9" format.

… The Premier Collection will launch in February 2025, with stories featuring Daredevil, Black Panther, Captain America, and Fantastic Four.

I had a hunch that the blow away success of the Compact Comics line from DC would lead to this. That said, the initial grouping is somewhat surprising – no X-Men? No Spider-Man, Peter or Miles? Odd.

That said, I now have an easy direction to send people in when they ask me where to start with comics.

Analogue has revealed their N64 device, the Analogue 3D. Looks very, very slick. In a perfect world, with an unlimited budget, I’d have all their systems with their respective flash cartridges and just live in the nostalgia.

The color Kindle is FINALLY a thing. Unfortunately, it looks like this is an early leak, so not sure how it’d handle things like say…comic books… Fingers crossed it’s good!

EDIT: It’s up now! $280. I’m gonna need hands-on impressions with comics, for sure.

Very excited to read The Verge’s 2004 Week this week.

Never thought that Disney+ would become streaming’s #1 source for Beatles content. Now there’s ANOTHER doc coming.

Michael McWhertor, Polygon:

Sunderfolk is inspired by tabletop games like Gloomhaven and Dungeons & Dragons, said head of Secret Door (and hardcore tabletop game enthusiast) Chris Sigaty at a recent hands-on event in New York. The developers behind Sunderfolk were inspired by the depth and inclusiveness of those games, while also recognizing their shortcomings.

“We’ve worked on games like StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone,” Sigaty said, “and one of the things we realized upfront was that we didn’t want to start with a competitive game. Even though we love and have a lot of knowledge in that space, we wanted to focus on something that was connective or collaborative. We found that we were having the most connective moments actually around a board game table, playing things like Dungeons & Dragons and board games of all sorts, and that our passion was in this space of tabletop gaming.”

But, Sigaty acknowledged, many tabletop games require reading through thick manuals paired with lengthy setup and breakdown times. In a strategic card-based tabletop game like Gloomhaven or Frosthaven, new players may spend hours unpacking the box, learning the rules, and cleaning up, instead of spending that time actually playing.

With Sunderfolk, Secret Door hopes to address those obstacles to fun.

What a promising sounding game and experience. The pedigree alone sells it, but the idea of a full RPG experience with limited setup time and an ease of gameplay for newbies sounds like a massive win, speaking as someone who got into tabletop during COVID.

An aside though, what timing of this being revealed the same week as the release of Jason Schreier’s Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, which I’ve been reading this week and is fantastic.

Absolute Batman #1 was absolutely ridiculous. But in that way that comics can be absurd yet completely engaging. Here’s hoping the whole run works that way.

I didn’t have “Old School Sega Game Shinobi Becomes A Movie” on my Bingo Card for today, but what the heck, I’ll take it.

So…photo hosting.

Yes, I’m using iCloud for personal backup, but is Flickr still the best for hosting galleries of photos?

Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline:

Here’s a really cool project that just got greenlit at DC Studios and Warner Bros Pictures Animation: Dynamic Duo.

It will mark the first joint project between DC Studios and the Bill Damaschke-led WBPA.

The 6th & Idaho movie scripted by Matthew Aldrich is being made by a new animation studio out of New Orleans named Swaybox and that studio’s husband-and-wife creators Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson. Mintz will direct this movie, which follows the early days of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd aka the Robins.

Note the storyline here isn’t connected to Matt Reeves’ Batman and The Penguin canon.

Swaybox uses a technology known as “Momo animation,” which is a cross between CGI animation, practical elements of stop-motion, and live-action real-time performance. The result is long-form storytelling billed as visually breathtaking, dynamically expressive and more human.

This might just be the most interesting idea to come out of the Warner Bros/DC filmography so far. Incredibly intrigued by the idea of how the animation works, and I really want to see it in motion.

Also, having the focus on the Robins (plural) is a very much untapped part of the DC Comics legacy which they’d do well to mine on film.

James Gunn had the following to say about it on socials:

Over the moon excited to announce the newest DC Studios/Warner Bros Pictures Animation greenlit film for theaters, DYNAMIC DUO, the story of Robin… or should I say, Robins, as in Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. The first feature film from the visionary Swaybox, a mix of animation, puppetry, and CGI, a script from the wonderfully talented Matt Aldrich, produced with our partners at Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. This is something special.

I recognize that Gunn has to do this at this point, being the Feige of sorts over at DC Studios, but with his track record, if he’s praising it, I’m ever more intrigued.

No release date or other information available at this time, but I’m going to be thinking about the possibilities and hoping its as awesome as it seems promising right now.

I don’t know if it makes me a weirdo in a time with notes apps and to-do apps (many of which I use), but a lot of times, I just throw things into a simple .txt file and run with it.

Pete Wells, The New York Times:

Today, the chicken tender is not just familiar. It is triumphant. It is a fixture of school lunches and kids’ menus, of all-night diners and gas stations. It can be found at airports, food courts and stadiums. It is a major reason for the double-digit sales growth that Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, Raising Cane’s and other chicken-centric chains have reported for five straight years.

Along the way, the chicken tender has become a symbol, although its meaning is hard to pin down. It can be an icon of simple, straightforward, unpretentious American taste. It can also be an expression of dull, unadventurous food engineered for the lowest common denominator. Restaurants, in their drive to stand out, have expended great effort devising crunchier breading, zestier dipping sauces, more tender tenders. And yet all the sauces in the world will never quite dispel the suspicion that the tender itself is, at heart, not very exciting.

What a better lunchtime read than that about the humble Chicken Tender?

Btw, the best Tenders? In my humble opinion: Spanky’s in Savannah, GA. Get their honey horseradish sauce and their spuds on the side? That’s a great time in a great city.

Oni Press is now taking pre-orders for a slue of Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary merch. It’s not a question of if I’ll buy something…it’s how much.

Disney+ just added a few 24/7 channels. While I could see myself dipping in out of the Hits & Heroes one, we still need a 24/7 Simpsons and/or Fox Animated channel.

Balatro+ has hit Apple Arcade! The other mobile versions are on their way, today. Farewell, productivity.

I absolutely love that we’re still making new discoveries in space which challenge our understandings of how it all works. Today’s find? A black hole which fires energy at a width which dwarfs the size of our own galaxy. SO cool.

Here goes, it’s Take Time™, with your host, me, Marty Day.

Last night into this morning, the internet was ablaze over the latest iPhone review from MKBHD. Not for the review itself, but rather that he used his platform to have the video sponsored by his new app, Panels.

First and foremost, I think it’s fine that he featured the app in the video. He frequently has segments in his videos for a sponsor. It just so happens that this sponsor was, well, himself.

The backlash began, however, as the app is a Wallpaper app which features the following elements:

• A free version with ads, which allows you to download lower resolution wallpapers after watching x number of ads.
• The ability to buy certain packs of wallpapers (averaging at $8 a pop)
• “Panels+”, a monthly subscription ($11.99) or yearly subscription ($49.99), to get higher resolution wallpapers, and the ability to download, well, all of the wallpapers you want.

The arguments I’ve seen against this have been…

• The inclusion of ads (and the data requirements related to them) are scummy.
• $50/yr or $12/mo is insane.
• Marques has enough money as it is
• I should just download wallpapers for free
• Isn’t some of this just AI generated?

In short, dude has been thrown against the wall, and now everyone’s popping up to say how scummy he is, how he’s never been good, etc.

I think – like many arguments online – the answer is, unfortunately for the screaming hordes, actually somewhere in the middle.

I think Marques Brownlee is very very good at what he does, and success has befallen him accordingly. His tech videos are slick, extremely well produced, and while many are to say he’s a shill for x company or y software, I feel like he’s been even handed. I’m not an avid watcher of his content, but I’ve always enjoyed what I’ve watched.

I also know that over the years, his comments have been filled with asks for the different wallpapers he’s used. People LOVE his taste in wallpapers. So he probably saw an opportunity to make something for those people. (In fact, he may have previously had a connection to the app Backdrops, given that they’ve featured the wallpapers he’s used in his videos/he featured wallpapers from the app in his videos). It’s the decisions made from there which are a mixed bag. And MIXED is the appropriate word.

For each argument, I think there’s a valid response. This isn’t – I think – a scenario of the guy going totally awful on his fandom, a cash grab, etc.

Ads (and their tracking) are scummy. No disagreement. And I say that having had worked in the affiliate world for nearly a decade. However, apps cost money to be developed, and the concept is that the artists receive a cut of the monies generated. People are also really against paying for apps. They want to try before they buy, sometimes never ever buy, so the best route you can go is…ads. Just like the rest of the web. It absolutely sucks, but its been the only consistently viable way for online properties to make money. And it’s been getting worse and worse for creators just the same.

$50/yr or $12/mo is insane. Is it really? By comparison, artists regularly sell wallpaper packs on services like Gumroad for $5 (at least)/each. I know this, I buy them. Add the 30% cut which Apple and Google take, and it’s not all that different, especially if you consider app development costs.

Marques has enough money as it is. Yes. Dude is successful, has a studio, fancy cars, the latest tech, etc. But this is a Capitalistic society. People do things to make money. No one is really out here doing things altruistically. Would it be cool if this was a scenario where the app was free, and he just paid artists to have wallpapers up on there? I guess. But that’s a wacky business plan, for sure.

I should just download wallpapers for free. Cool. Please feel free to continue to do so.

You’re not entitled to something because it’s on the internet. No different than the point I’ve been driving with streaming services, none of this is a public right or domain. People make things. It costs money to make things. To continue to make things, they need to be paid. Do you go to your job for free? Once again, I say I’m Sorry, But Things Cost Money.

Sure, everything has waste, I think the entire world of million dollar execs while their employees make pennies is a fucking mess, but to make things, money needs to be exchanged. You don’t get food based on exposure.

Isn’t some of this just AI generated? And this is the other, 100% valid, concern. If this is the handpicked, premium wallpaper app filled with artwork by proper artists…the art should be from proper artists. At the very least, AI generated art needs to be flagged.All and all, I think the concerns are part of the standard give-and-take we have with things online lately. People hate ads, but it’s the only consistent way to make money. People hate costs, or costs going up, but many times: if money’s not made, things won’t be created anymore.I did want to take the time to spotlight an alternative here. Full disclosure, I’m a regular Patreon supporter of the org, but the team at The Iconfactory have a fantastic app called Wallaroo. It’s $20/year, all the art is made BY ARTISTS, and it funds their continued development of really great software. If you want to spend your money, this might be a better place…but at the end of the day? I don’t think Marques really did anything wrong.

We live in a world where there will be Ghostbusters-themed Pumas. Just out there for people to buy. What a time to be alive.

Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube

A new vision of fear from director Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. #SinnersMovie - Only in theaters March 7. #shotwithimaxfilmcameras

From Ryan Coogler—director of “Black Panther” and “Creed”—and starring Michael B. Jordan comes a new vision of fear: “Sinners.”

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

Written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Coogler, “Sinners” stars Jordan (the “Black Panther” and “Creed” franchises) in a dual role, joined by Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld (“Bumblebee,” “True Grit”), Jack O’Connell (“Ferrari”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Passenger”), Jayme Lawson (“The Woman King”), Omar Benson Miller (“True Lies”) and Delroy Lindo (“Da 5 Bloods”).

Oh boy. Not only does this look great, but the track record of Coogler and Jordan, especially together, is pretty well untarnished.

WB must be feeling pretty confident too, given that they’re hyping it 6 months out.

Day One!

Ask the Developer Vol. 13, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — Part 1

Terada: We were exploring a few different ways to play the game in parallel. In one approach, Link could copy and paste various objects, such as doors and candlesticks, to create original dungeons. During this exploration phase, this idea was called an “edit dungeon” because players could create their own Legend of Zelda gameplay.

Aonuma: They showed it to me and told me to give it a try. As I played, I started thinking that while it’s fun to create your own dungeon and let other people play it, it’s also not so bad to place items that can be copied and pasted in the game field, and create gameplay where they can be used to fight enemies. That was the beginning of gameplay using “echoes.” The gameplay was shifted from creating dungeons up until then to using copied-and-pasted items as tools to further your own adventure.

Pulled from the latest installment of the Ask the Developer series which Nintendo does around the release of their big first-party games. I may be reading this wrong, but it certainly sounds to me like the original intent for the game, at least in its early form, was to be able to create (and maybe share?) their own Zelda dungeons. So, basically Mario Maker but for The Legend of Zelda.

I just want to put it out there, Nintendo – if you still have an inkling to do this, I’m all for it. Especially if the cool, almost claymation-like visual style from the Link’s Awakening Remake and Echoes of Wisdom were in use.

Marvel Entertainment on YouTube:

Careful who you assemble. Marvel Studios’ #Thunderbolts* is only in theaters May 2025.

Did not expect this to drop today! But it does a great job setting up Thunderbolts* as a unique, harder-tinged installment of the ever ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of my favorite elements of Black Widow was the chemistry and humor between Florence Pugh’s Yelena and David Harbour’s Alexei, so it’s great to see the same returned here. Wyatt Russel’s beard is a good look, and overall, I like the “people looking for something bigger and greater than themselves” concept. Plus, a Pixies needledrop is an easy win for me.

That said, here comes the “It looks like Suicide Squad” takes.

Optimistic about this one! We’ll see next Summer.

Thunderbolts hits theaters on May 2, 2025.*

Current state of my iPad setup.

OK Action Button nerds, I get it now. And also, ShareShot rules.

It’s new technology day!

The 30th Anniversary PlayStation consoles and controllers are incredibly well designed, visually.

Luke Winkie, Slate:

In just four games in January 2023, Yogesh Raut became an overnight Jeopardy! sensation. In a sign of the times for the show, his ascendance had as much to do with his bluster as it did with his knowing the clues. It was clear he was exceptionally good at quizzing from the moment he took the podium, and between his three initial victories, he totaled nearly $100,000 in winnings. But Jeopardy! fans were especially captivated by Raut’s offbeat demeanor on stage: the violence with which he smacked his buzzer, the confidence with which he taunted flashy luminaries like James Holzhauer. Most memorably, when Raut’s winning streak came to an end, he took to Facebook and wrote a lengthy, difficult-to-parse essay asserting that Jeopardy! and its fandom were a necrotic presence in the world of trivia—specifically that the show is “bad for women and POC who want to be treated with the same level of dignity as their White male counterparts.”

Jeopardy! is a “glorified reality show,” and the aura around it is “fundamentally incompatible with incentivizing the next generation of quizzers to excel,” Raut wrote. “It is fundamentally incompatible with true social justice.”

It does not take much to rankle the librarian-like dictums of Jeopardy! nation, and a former champion taking aim at the show on social media was more than enough for the community to settle on a brand-new villain. “What is ‘Sour Grapes,’ Ken?” went one response to Raut’s post. “He only holds it in such low esteem because he didn’t do as well as he was expected to do,” another fan wrote. So when Raut was invited to the annual Tournament of Champions that was held last spring, fans took note of his impending return. In February, in a story about the deluge of special tournaments that had taken over the show’s programming, I briefly mentioned in a parenthetical that Raut was set to come back to the show he had roasted: “Remember three-time champion Yogesh Raut, who trashed the show after his appearances? He’s back next week!”

That’s when things got weird.

Fascinating read this morning. Whether you agree or disagree with Raut’s perspective on trivia and the games which he plays, this is one of those articles where the iceberg seems to get deeper and deeper the more below the surface you go.

As a Jeopardy! fan, and a Jeopardy! hopeful, this was a must read, but I think everyone’s gonna end up fascinated here. It’s a story of trivia teams, anger, distrust, vengeance, revenge and more. And I never thought those terms would go together.

Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube:

What’s it feel like to die? From director Bong Joon Ho, comes Mickey 17 - only in theaters January 31, 2025. #Mickey17

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

I’ve been VERY MUCH looking forward to this once it was announced – I adored the original book its based on, Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, and when you have one of my favorite directors (Bong Joon-Ho) matched with someone who is becoming one of my favorite actors (Robert Pattinson), it’s a recipe for greatness.

Just two bits though…

• Why is it Mickey 17 and not Mickey7?
• Why is this movie coming out in January, which has traditionally been the dumping ground of bad movies?

Mickey 17 hits theaters on January 31th, 2025.

Here’s where I’ve landed with my iOS 18 Homescreen after 1 day. Top is a Smart Stack with Weather/Calendar/Reminders/News/Music/Podcasts.

Years of learning how to compose shots, edit photos, etc. has me really interested in pursuing photography more as a hobby. But is a proper mirrorless or DSLR camera really going to be all that different? I’d had an eye on a nice beginner camera, but I’m not sure if its worth the dough.

I cannot believe that the ENTIRE STAFF of Annapurna Interactive resigned yesterday. For those not into the games world, imagine if A24 or Neon’s entire staff left. The video game industry is headed toward an incredibly crucial reckoning.

Folks? It’s officially on.

You may ask: do I like to live dangerously? You tell me.

Genuinely surprised that Chloe Troast isn’t being picked up for a second year at SNL. “Little Orphan Cassidy” last season felt like a genuine star-in-the-making moment. Odd.

The Orioles are falling apart, artist John Cassaday passed at 52, James Earl Jones is gone at 93, and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse may not see the light of day until 2027.

This is an aggressively Monday-assed Monday.

Welp, I’m in for a new Apple Watch and new iPhone.

But I was going to be anyway, my personal refresh cycle was up.

Twenty-five years ago today, the Sega Dreamcast hit North American shelves.

I remember this launch like it was yesterday. I saved all Summer for the system, a VMU, and copies of Sonic Adventure and Soulcalibur. I remember grabbing the tickets from Toys R Us’s video game department, paying my pre-order deposits, and holding onto those tickets and their stapled receipts like they were the nuclear football.

What I didn’t expect, however, was how this system would become my favorite video game system of all time. As a console, it had a short lifespan, being discontinued in March 2001 – but the legacy it left reverberates even today.

So many hours spent with the Sonic Adventure games, taking the SEGA mascot into 3D for the first time. So many hours playing the amazing Soulcalibur, the first time I can remember a home console version looking better than the arcade. So many hours playing the Marvel vs. Capcom games, the perfect party game fighter, showing the comic heroes in a light we’d never seen before. So many hours playing SEGA classics-in-the-making, like the arcade perfect Crazy Taxi, or the stylish Jet Set Radio.

It was even easy to play import games, where the 1-2 punch of my first real disposable income met the ease of access via the Internet of ordering Japanese titles. I spent far too much time creating, tweaking, and then playing characters in Fire Pro D.

And this doesn’t even include the quirky titles like Seaman or underrated games like the Power Stone series.

Developers were making their art. Trying new things. Each game felt so different from what Sony was producing. It was truly a special time.

In many ways, you can see a shared DNA with what the Nintendo Switch has become, but there truly is, was, and likely never will be anything like the Dreamcast.

25 years on, I salute you. Even if your “It’s Thinking” tagline would be considered a threat in 2024.

An afternoon at the theatre.

It was a fun night at the ballpark. LFGO’s

The latest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan might be one of the most emotion filled podcast episodes I’ve ever listened to. Check it out here, but be prepared to tear up between laughs.

Played the opening two levels of Astro Bot over lunch. Yeah, this game really is something special.

This joke might land for like eight people, but:

Linkin Park is back together. And with it, a world of Dragon Ball Z music video creators breathed a sigh of relief.

Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline:

This is a bit early, but The Dish hears momentum is building on the Smokehouse-produced next installment of the Warner Bros caper film franchise that started with Ocean’s Eleven. Sources said that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are coming back, and they are courting Edward Berger to take over directing duties.

This is of no slight to Mr. Berger, who I am sure is a perfectly fine director, nor Mr.’s Clooney or Pitt.

This is a terrible idea.

Even if apparently, there’s been a script in the works, and Clooney even likes it. (How did I miss that?)

Ocean’s Eleven is one of my favorite movies of all time. The times I’ve watched it count easily into the dozens, if not hundreds. Danny Ocean, Rusty and the gang, I love their adventures.

And then Ocean’s Twelve happened. Though I’ve come to appreciate it as its own, scrappy movie, a fun European vacation for a bunch of actors who like to hangout together, it’s a total mess when compared to the first film, which is/was perfection.

They got very lucky with Ocean’s Thirteen. This is the first movie I can recall having the pitch of, “We know we screwed up last time, but this time, we nailed it.” And honestly? They did. While definitely the second best Ocean’s movie, it’s back to the rhythmic fun of the first, effortlessly cool.

A fourth film, going on two decades (god I’m old) after the third installment? You are TEMPTING FATE. You got your mea culpa. Ocean’s 8 was fine. I’m intrigued by the Ocean’s prequel coming with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gossling. But there is no need for Danny and Rusty to come back. Rob Reiner has passed. Bernie Mac has passed. The need for this has passed.

Just keep doing more Ocean’s-like movies like Wolfs. I’ll watch ‘em every time you make ‘em. And you’re already getting a sequel for that one. Don’t tempt fate. You won at the roulette table. Take your winnings.

The new Reeder has arrived. It’s weird to call an app which is so beautifully minimal “a hefty re-think”, but it really is a new way of interacting with feeds. I’m testing it out, and seeing how I feel.

AWESOME news: Balatro, one of my games of the year, hits mobile on September 26th! And if you have Apple Arcade, great news: same day access.

The reviews have hit for Astro Bot, and it sounds like Sony has a very special game on its hands. Incredibly excited to give this one a spin.

Air conditioning was out at my local theater, so my plan this afternoon to see Alien: Romulus was thwarted. Boo.

A little bummed to be saying goodbye to one of my all-time favorite runs in comics. Hopefully they run back Krakoa one day.

Self promotion alert: your dear pal Marty Day (that’s me!) has been featured on Manuel Moreale’s People and Blogs. Get my thoughts on blogging, my favorite folks doing it today, and how I run all of this stuff from one site.

Happy New Music Friday, folks! I’m excited to check out the new Tycho album, along with the first EP from Appleseed Cast side project Black x Sea. What are you checking out?

The season premiere of Only Murders in the Building was fantastic. Who would’ve thought that the show would still be good, four seasons in?

This cassette tape archive is super cool. More projects like this on the Internet, please.

I don’t know what it is, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to really enjoy Metroidvania games. I suppose its the exploration and unlocking aspects, but, I love ‘em.

With announcements of Pizza Tower (coming today!), Power Stone 1+2, and a collection of the DS Castlevania titles, today’s Nintendo Direct was aimed for me directly, it seems.

It’s almost the beginning of Fall, and I don’t know about you, but I like to – just as in Spring – enjoy doing a run of looking at my subscriptions, tidying up my follows, uninstalling my unused apps, and generally, making my tech experience lighter. I recommend it for you, too!

Just some thoughts about some media I’ve ingested the last few days…

• Batman: Caped Crusader (Amazon Prime Video) is pretty fantastic. I finished the 10 episode season this week, and as someone who is an avowed fan of the classic Batman: The Animated Series, this doesn’t replace or improve it, but certainly can sit on the shelf next to it. If you were ever a reader of the very early Batman comics, like, around his debut, they did an excellent job of capturing the look and feel – even with some digressions into the supernatural, which was, once, a regular feature of the characters stories.

• I’ve started watching Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount+). I really dug last summer’s Mutant Mayhem, and while this trades 3D animation for 2D, most of the voice cast is back (with one exception, handled in a clever way) and the same good vibes persist. Really love how the whole thing still has that “sketchbook” feel, and each turtle feels distinct and like an actual teenager. If you dug the movie, give it a spin. If you haven’t seen the movie…check it out!

• I ran through the first nineteen issues or so of Ryan North’s run of Fantastic Four on Marvel Unlimited. I’ve never been a big Fantastic Four guy, but I was absolutely locked in here. Each issue has a real “science mystery of the month” vibe, kind of like a wholesome Twilight Zone? And, there are more issues where they aren’t in costume than are, which was a pleasant difference. When Doom appears, North does a killer job of writing him. I think this run will be as beloved as his Squirrel Girl run when all is said and done. And if not, at least we had that run in the Marvel Dinosaur Universe.

Shout out my iPad for delivering all of this in a cool, easy to enjoy way. We live in the future, every day.

Warner Bros. on YouTube:

Peter Jackson presents a groundbreaking journey back to Middle-earth through the eyes of legendary director Kenji Kamiyama. #LOTR The War of the Rohirrim - only in theaters Christmas.

OK, let’s go ahead and ignore that the trailer has footage from the original Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy awkwardly shoehorned into it.

How buck wild is it that Warner Bros. has produced, and will be theatrically distributing, a full on (2D?) anime-assed anime, to theaters this Christmas? And it’s by a guy who has a serious pedigree (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Jin-Roh, etc.) and not some anonymous name.

What a time to be alive.

LEGO has revealed a new set based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Truly a great example of what LEGO sets can be these days, this is gonna FLY off the shelves.

Forgot to post about this when I first saw it: Legendary is Kickstarting a series of 3 Pacific Rim graphic novels, to wrap up the universe. I’d love to know what input GDT had, and I don’t love the 3 year wait, but it’s intriguing just the same.

Hi! I’ve been lusting over the gear from Bellroy for years and years. And now I realize I’m a big boy with a big boy job, so like, I can get these things if I want. But does anyone on my lists have their gear and have thoughts on the quality of their stuff?

Melena Ryzik, The New York Times:

Its influence is visible in the themed bulletin boards dotting school hallways, the character-based lesson plans and educators’ many D.I.Y. craft projects. There’s also the popular touring exhibition “Emotions at Play,” developed by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with Pixar; since 2021 it has been inviting visitors to create glowing “memory spheres” or keep the “train of thought” on track. (“Core memory” is a phrase that the first movie helped introduce to the TikTok generation.)

For Carter, a national school counselor of the year for her work at a junior high in Cape Girardeau, Mo., “Inside Out” provided a shared language and a visual iconography that makes abstract concepts concrete. “I have the figurines of each feeling, so students can show me who’s at the control panel,” she said. Like “Mister Rogers,” “Sesame Street” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” it offers a common reference point for families.

And the new movie’s focus on anxiety, which has reached crisis proportions among adolescents, normalizes experiences that for young people could seem isolating or overwhelming, and makes them relatable.

It really is amazing how these two Inside Out films have made mental health concerns easier to discuss, and crucially, easier to relate and understand.

This is how art can recalibrate our world. Even when it’s a multi-billion dollar generating Pixar franchise.

Related: The depiction of an Anxiety Attack in Inside Out 2 was a little too dead on. Uncle Marty may’ve had a hard time keeping the teary-eyes hidden from his niece.

Sony Pictures on YouTube:

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Definitively, I can tell: Yes, this will absolutely be My Shit™.

And hey, a Jason Reitman movie to get excited about! When was the last one, The Front Runner?

I know I’m repeating myself here, but…why would you need to close CartoonNetwork.com? How much could it have really cost to maintain?

McDonald’s out here poking directly at the nostalgia part of my brain with their forthcoming Collector’s Meal drinking glasses. The designs ARE pretty rad…

Anthony Breznican, Vanity Fair

The first thing director Jason Reitman wants people to know about Saturday Night is that it may be about funny people—writers and performers who unquestionably redefined comedy—but it’s not intended to be a laugh riot. The movie plays out in real time over the course of about 90 minutes, and there are certainly comic moments, but there are more tense and fraught ones. The story starts at 30 Rockefeller Center at 10 p.m. on October 11, 1975, and culminates with the first-ever broadcast of Saturday Night Live. What unfolds is less a comedy than a ticking-clock suspense movie. “It’s a thriller-comedy, if you can call that a genre,” Reitman says of the film, which arrives in theaters on October 11. “I always describe this movie as a shuttle launch, and the question was, ‘Would they break orbit?’”

What a perfect comparison of live television to a shuttle launch.

Saturday Night has sounded promising from the jump. Arguably the most exciting thing Jason Reitman’s worked on in years, a cast filled with relative unknowns who are soon to be knowns, and built around the behind the scenes of a creative project. It’s basically every box you could check for me as a movie goer.

As someone who loved Thank You For Smoking, Juno, and Up in the Air, I hope this is a return to form to Reitman, and this movie rights the ship after those Ghostbusters debacles.

Another round of streaming service price increases, another round of people complaining about them. Once again, I’m Sorry, But Things Cost Money.

X has decided to sue a pact of advertisers for the crime of…deciding to not do business with them. Good fuckin' luck, dinguses.

Rapidly approaching a level of….what’s this? optimism? for November. May I not regret this post.

Whoa. Google lost one of their Anti-Trust suits with the DoJ.

There’s a booth here at the con selling: charging cables, wall chargers, external batteries, headphones and deodorant. It may be the smartest audience fit I’ve ever seen for a convention booth. I have to assume they’re making all the money.

I don’t typically have a shopping list these days when I go to a convention, especially since I work so many of them with Super Art Fight. But with us playing Otakon this weekend in DC (PLUG!), I’m looking for whatever I can get my grubby mitts on, Godzilla Minus One-wise. We’ll see what I dig up.

Was in the grocery store as the dance remix of “Call On Me” started playing. As someone who used to visit YTMND daily, I cannot begin to describe the lizard brain response I had.

You know you’re a dork when you’re excited that a site you read finally added a RSS feed.

The headline? “Southwest Airlines is getting rid of open seating” The reality? Southwest Airlines is going to start charging more for specific seats.

As someone who is a semi-professional comedian…what the fuck are you even saying, Marc Andreessen?

Matthew Jacobs, The Ringer:

If a single quotation can distill an entire subset of pop culture in the 2000s, these 12 words work pretty well: “You gotta hear this one song. It’ll change your life, I swear.”

Most millennials can immediately identify Garden State, Zach Braff’s indie phenomenon from 2004, as the source. For some, the quote is a nostalgia portal, bringing their bygone youth into focus. For others, it’s naive, cringe-inducing corn. But two decades ago, it was kind of the hipster way to trumpet a semi-obscure track like the Shins’ “New Slang” as a metamorphic experience. It was the heyday of Pitchfork, MisShapes, mix CDs, and Seth Cohen. You gotta hear this one song epitomized a generation transitioning from the sovereignty of MTV to the curatorial power of Myspace. Braff loaded Garden State with the sort of in-the-know music recommendations that had become currency.

It’s really hard to communicate how much of a moment this album and movie was for millennials like myself. I can self-aggrandize by saying “I knew most of these bands before this soundtrack”, but to hear these songs and see them used so well justified years of MP3 blog diving.

The movie itself I saw in theaters multiple times with countless friends, and watched the DVD regularly, but I haven’t revisited the film in well over a decade. I wonder how it holds up. I can at least say that the trailer holds up as something special.

The Olympics kick off shortly (though the Opening Ceremony is Friday), and I am unusually pumped. Here’s to two weeks of unbelievably necessary distraction.

I sure would love to – for the first time in my adult life – live in precedented times.

Just when you thought musicians had figure out all the clever ways to release an album, Jack White throws a new one out there. Pretty cool stuff.

There’s a massive global worldwide IT outage… …and the new Los Campesinos album isn’t up on Apple Music yet.

Can you guess which one I’m more bothered by?

Borys Kit and Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter:

The Russo Bros. are in early talks to return to Marvel Studios to direct not just one, but the next two Avengers movies, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

The hiring ends a months-long, high stakes search by the studio for filmmakers to oversee the fifth and sixth Avengers movies. Multiple names were in contention, including Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, who was offered the gig. Sources say the talks are in the early stages.

Thanos, Avengers: Endgame (2019):

You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.

With just a week until San Diego Comic Con 2024 kicks off, Deadpool and Wolverine hits theaters, and Marvel Studios begins its attempt in earnest to turn things around with fan sentiment after the spotty output since Avengers: Endgame, it’s no shock that word is officially getting out early about who Kevin Feige has appointed to turn this bus around.

Look, some of the issues are not of their own doing – Disney certainly didn’t expect that their next big villain would end up having such high profile issues with the law – but I do also wonder if this is a safe, “Lets Play The Hits” sort of move from the Mouse House.

Again, I really adored what the MCU was through Endgame, and since, there have been projects I liked, but on the whole, it’s felt shaggy and lifeless.

Maybe next Saturday, in Hall H, the comeback begins. Let’s hope.

DC Comics announced that they’re reuniting the Daredevil duo of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee for Batman and Robin: Year One. The preview art looks gorgeous.

Marvel Entertainment / YouTube:

Enter a brave new world.

Marvel Studios' #CaptainAmericaBraveNewWorld, only in theaters February 14, 2025.

A bit earlier than I expected, the first trailer for the 4th Captain America has hit the web. I expected it to be attached to, say Twisters or, of course, Deadpool & Wolverine, but instead, its on the web a smidge early.

Let’s ignore that the movie has a crazy budget, tons of reshoots, has had its release date moved multiple times (shout out COVID and two strikes), and got somewhat spoiled by a McDonald’s Happy Meal in May…this looks…or looked… promising.

Honestly, it’s until the end of the trailer that I was totally in. This felt like a gritty return to the comic-book-movie-as-political-thriller vibes which made Captain America: The Winter Soldier arguably the best MCU movie.

And then there’s the stinger at the end. With Red Hulk.

Marvel isn’t hiding Red Hulk by any means, see the attached poster image, but the usage of the character feels so out-of-left field in this trailer, I can only imagine how it feels in the movie proper.

With the movies since Avengers: Endgame being such a mixed bag, while watching this trailer, I was hyped to see a lower stakes, focused movie, less about “The Universe” and more a story which could stand alone.

Instead, here comes CG Punching.

As I’ve discussed recently with friends, the promise of the MCU as a long time comic book fan has become somewhat of a curse. They were giving me amazing, well told interpretations of characters and arcs I loved. And somehow, the entire world was loving it to. But now, like comic books themselves, even the best runs get snuffed out by crossovers and a need to have read it all.

Perhaps I will eat these words come February 2025, but right now, I’m already bothered by the lack of Marvel’s convictions when it comes to this story.

Absolutely loving this tour of Aaron Draplin’s Backyard Studio this morning. Though my tastes go towards the more minimal, I love how its designed and his thoughts on organization.

I can’t get enough of reading stories about Peanut Butter, the Video Game Speedrunning Dog.

WWE signing Holey Moley’s Joe Tessitore as a new play-by-play commentator WITHOUT also signing Rob Riggle for color is a damned shame.

I don’t think this would be relatable to too many people, but watching The Boy and the Heron last night, I was hit with a really strong sensory memory.

When Otakon was based in Baltimore, they’d use some of the bigger panel halls as “Video 1”, and it’s where they’d show movies, sometimes even on 35mm. Understandably, I’d go there a lot. I got to see Seven Samurai and My Neighbor Totoro this way.

You’d walk in to this cavernous room and wait for the movie to start. Sure, there maybe was a packed audience, but all was quiet. The only noise was the air conditioning kicking in. The lights were low, and the air was cold.

You’d come out 2 hours later, to a warm, loud convention hall, people laughing, people having a great time. It was such a juxtaposition, you truly felt like you came out from underground to a new world.

…I kinda miss that.

Clever move by LEGO, to announce their fantastic and detail-rich JAWS set on July 4th.

We need to talk about how absolutely unexpected in style this new Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) single is.

I know dude would name drop/sample indie-rock on his mixtapes, but, wow.

Andrew Liszewski, The Verge:

The archives of the MTV News website, which had remained accessible online after the unit was shut down last year by parent company Paramount Global, have now been completely taken offline. As Variety reported yesterday, both mtvnews.com and mtv.com/news now redirect visitors to the MTV website’s front page.

Truly sad, especially given that the upkeep of these archives must have been – at best – a rounding error for Viacom.

For Gen Z, Alpha, and those to come, it’s both going to be odd to explain that, “Yes, MTV once played music videos, and was not wall to wall Ridiculousness.”, but also: “When this intro played, you knew that shit was about to go down.”

Kurt Loder + Tabitha Soren forever.

Jason Zinoman, The New York Times:

Since leaving late-night television in 2021, Conan O’Brien, 61, has become more reflective about life (and death), given to philosophical flights of fancy that he compulsively alternates with comic tangents. O’Brien famously champions the intersection between smart and stupid, but in conversation, what stands out is how quickly he moves between light and heavy. In one of several interviews, I asked him if he was happier now than when he was on television and his response was to question happiness itself. “At best it’s a fleeting moment after a rainstorm when the sun’s coming out,” he said. “Being contented comes in little moments, here and there.”

The only thing trickier than being a late-night talk show host is being a former one. Some relapse (Jon Stewart). A few vanish (Johnny Carson, Craig Kilborn). Most enter a more modest era (David Letterman, Jay Leno). Since he started writing for “Saturday Night Live” in the 1980s, Conan O’Brien has built one of the most consequential careers in comedy. And while his late-night tenure is beloved by comedy nerds, helping define a sensibility for a generation of comedians like Bill Hader, Eric André and Nikki Glaser, his postshow work may turn out to be more impressive.

Besides being an influence to me and my sense of humor, especially for whatever comedy “career” I’ve built for myself, it’s funny how much I found myself relating to Conan and how his brain works – the light and the dark.

Heck of a read.

People who drink Caffeine-Free, Diet Coke: Why? What are you getting out of it at that point?

Thank you, Baltimore Banner, for shouting out Super Art Fight as one of the Things to Do this weekend!

Nathan Grayson, Aftermath:

Nintendo knows what works for it, and over the years it has stayed that course, at times to its own detriment. But when it works, it really works. The Switch has been a smash success, which has allowed Nintendo to stick to its guns even as it navigates an industry that’s doubling down on fewer, bigger games. It is notable that Nintendo hasn’t laid off hundreds or thousands of workers in the past couple years, nor has it jumped aboard the forever game bandwagon (unless Mario Kart 8 counts). I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the former is a result of labor law as much as it is anything else, but there’s also a hopeful truth at the core of Nintendo’s approach: If you create something good and dependable, people will appreciate it. You don’t have to trick or trap them to build a successful business.

I mean…this is why Nintendo is able to do what it does so well. They play the long game. Sure, they’ve had their bumps and bruises (Wii-U, Virtual Boy), but this article – along with the latest Nintendo Direct – illuminates why they’ve been able to cut out a market for themselves and ultimately side-step the console wars.

It’s funny, I can sit here right now in 2024 and say that I will for sure be picking up a Switch 2 (or whatever its called), but I am already skeptical – without a game or acknowledgement of it existing! – about what a PlayStation 6 will bring. That is the confidence Nintendo has built.

After this morning’s Nintendo Direct, I’ve got about 10 new games I want to pick up.

I’d already wanted to check out Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, but, I also find myself excited for…

• Mario & Luigi: Brothership
• Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
• Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
• Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (along with the I & II remakes announced)
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Though I may pick it up on PS4 instead)
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Turns out, Zelda’s the girl.)
• And, of course…Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which I can’t help but feel like is the cross-generational game, a’la Breath of the Wild for the Wii-U/Switch transition.

For a system which just past its seventh birthday, that’s pretty amazing.

Tonight’s Phillies / Orioles game has been one of the most incredible live sports viewing experiences of my life.

I wish I could’ve been there live!

The new RJD2 album, Visions Out Of Limelight, is good working music, if you’re looking for some on this Friday.

The announcement of a Sheetz location coming to my neck of the woods has realized I haven’t poked this bear in a bit.

So, what are your rankings of convenience store / gas station food?

Mind, I’ve not had Buc-ees, but my picks are…

1. Sheetz - Awesome variety of food, usually prepared well, great drink menu.
2. Wawa - If their menu were a bit more eclectic, I’d give them the nod, but even with the latest additions (pizza), it’s a lesser option than Sheetz.
3. Royal Farms - The chicken is awesome. But that’s the thing: just the chicken is awesome.
4. Highs - Their ice cream is decent? 🤷‍♂️
5. 7-Eleven - Trash. Every now and then a taquito hits a spot, but for the most part, not worth the time or money.

What say you? This, of course, is with the asterisk of Japanese Convenience Stores being far far better than anything US ones have produced.

Heck yes. LEGO has revealed a Transformers Bumblebee set which – like the Optimus Prime before him – can transform. 950 pieces, $90. Hits LEGO.com on July 1.

Sony Pictures has purchased Alamo Drafthouse. Wow. Gonna have to think on this one. May write more later.

Wisconsin State Fair:

For 10 years, The Sporkies have encouraged our State Fair vendors to create next-level foods… and drinks worthy of mouth-watering Instagram pics. The Drinkies, State Fair’s non-alcoholic beverage competition! This sip-tacular competition will refresh the drink options at the State Fair for all ages.

Once again, we have ourselves the annual listing / competition for the most bizarre, insane, intense and absolutely ridiculous fair food.

Among the, uh, highlights (?) this year…

• Loaded Baked Potato Churro
• Elvis Nachos
• Cool Ranch Doritios Pickle
• Deep Fried Lemonade Bites

You can view the full breakdown of entries for The Sporkies here.

What a world.

David Pierce, The Verge:

But I’d wager that if you wanted to see the most exciting drama happening at the MGM on this Friday night, you’d have to walk through the casino and look for the small sign advertising something called The Active Cell. This is the site of the play-in round for the Excel World Championship, and it starts in five minutes. There are 27 people here to take part in this event (28 registered, but one evidently chickened out before we started), which will send its top eight finishers to tomorrow night’s finals. There, one person will be crowned the Excel World Champion, which comes with a trophy and a championship belt and the ability to spend the next 12 months bragging about being officially the world’s best spreadsheeter. Eight people have already qualified for the finals; some of today’s 27 contestants lost in those qualifying rounds, others just showed up last-minute in hopes of a comeback.

I did not expect to be enthralled by a write up about a spreadsheet writing competition. Yet, here I am.

I very much recommend clicking through if just to see the awesome visual style that The Verge’s team applied to the article. Nice touch, and helps make the site feel like a magazine.

What a lame move from NBC. Live bands are an intrinsic part of the late night experience, as much as cue cards or monologues. This absolutely sucks.

Alex Young, Consequence:

HFStival, the long-dormant, yet supremely iconic Washington, DC-based alt-rock music festival, looks to be making a comeback in 2024.

Today, the social media accounts for both the 9:30 Club and Nationals Park in Washington, DC indicated the festival would return on Saturday, September 21st, 2024, at Nationals Park.

The flashback vibes, they are strong.

For those not from the DMV region, WHFS was an incredibly important alternative rock station, who held an annual event, called the HFStival. Tens of thousands of teenagers/early 20’s folk would descend upon an area stadium, and enjoy the bands of the day. Famous alums include Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, but also made sure to spotlight area bands.

In 2010 and 2011, these were run again as a nostalgia play, but today, we’re getting a possible return.

My hope is that it focuses on what alt is in 2024 – even with a throwback headliner or two – and maybe, just maybe, has a path to return of the station?

Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch:

Wix, the platform known chiefly for its web design tools, is launching a generative AI feature that’ll let customers create and edit iOS or Android apps by describing what they want to see in plain English.

The capability, which is set to arrive in Wix’s app builder tool this week, guides users through a chatbot-like interface to understand the goals, intent and aesthetic of their app. With this info, Wix’s AI generates an app that can be customized from the app editor, and then optionally embellished with first- and third-party integrations, widgets and connectors.

What could possibly go wrong?

F’s in the chat for the App Store Review team.

yeah, The Acolyte is damn fine watching. About time they started exploring the High Republic era.

20th Century Studios/YouTube:

“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. “Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.

This looks big, and loud, and scary, and exciting, and dark, and gorgeous and basically everything-I-have-wanted-in-an-Alien-movie-for-years.

Hard to believe this was originally set for Hulu, right?

I will be there, August 16th.

Sony Pictures on YouTube:

Till death do they part. Tom Hardy returns in Venom: The Last Dance – coming exclusively to theaters this October.

In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.

Venom: The Last Dance stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach and Stephen Graham. The film is directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay she wrote, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy and Hutch Parker.

Looks absolutely ridiculous.

Dance sequences, giant CG monsters, and crucially, VENOM HORSE. Sign me up for the next version of whatever goofiness Tom Hardy has put together here.

Oh boy! I am definitely making time to listen to Blank Check with David and Griffin today. https://overcast.fm/+FnAgZfDLI

FINALLY Godzilla Minus One is up on VOD!

Seems to be rolling out on Netflix worldwide, as well (not yet in the States), so…WATCH THIS MOVIE. ITS SO GOOD.

Got into the beta for the new version of Reeder for iOS. Interesting idea, focusing on NOT being completionist with the feeds you follow, and acting as a hub for RSS, Podcasts, YouTube, etc.

Not sure if it would replace standard Reeder for me, and I’m also intrigued to see how Iconfactory approaches a similar idea with their Project Tapestry.

As a former marketing technology specialist, today’s massive Google leak is unreal. Whole orgs and careers had been built around the oblique nature of SEO, and having real answers is wild.

LEGO has announced their first official The Legend of Zelda set, for release this September. Features the Deku Tree and minifigures of three versions of Link, along with the Breath of the Wild Zelda. Looks great, but is a pricey $300.

How old am I? I am “Takes-A-Moment-to-Admire-His-Parking-Job” Years Old, apparently.

Note to self: Use your AirPods Max more while watching movies at night, solo.

I’ve got a new tech related pet peeve. TheTakeout.com was acquired by Looper.com. Looper updated The Takeout’s RSS feed to supply everything from The Takeout AND Looper. What a mess.

For my toy nerds: Is it just me, or is it kind of weird that Mattel never worked out licensing for a series of die-cast Mad Max vehicles? My desk longs for a War Rig.

It’s been WAY TOO LONG for the DoJ to finally move against Ticketmaster, but I’m glad something is finally being done.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga tonight. To say I am excited would be an understatement. Trying to remind myself that Mad Max: Fury Road was a once-in-a-lifetime film, and to not expect lightning striking twice.

"The Munsters, but grim." I have zero skin in the Munsters fandom game, but…when are we going to do more of the “[License] but uplifting” or “[License] but comedic.” reboots?

The world of video game journalism just got a lot smaller. I have to imagine IGN won’t be keeping these sites alive for too long.

Inaugural comic read on my new iPad: The first collection of the new Transformers series by Daniel Warren Johnson (Do A Powerbomb!)

Writing a thing. Posting this screenshot to hold me accountable for posting it.

Work from home day? Nice. Work from home day when your new iPad comes in? Even better.

The Stop Making Sense tribute album from A24, Everyone’s Getting Involved hit today. Not all of the covers work for me, but those that do – Paramore’s “Burning Down the House”, The Linda Linda’s “Found a Job” – absolutely make the project worthwhile.

#FastFoodArmsRace: I don’t know what the hell Grandma flavor is, and now you’re confused by it too. Way to go, McDonald’s!

David Pierce, The Verge:

A year ago, Google said that it believed AI was the future of search. That future is apparently here: Google is starting to roll out “AI Overviews,” previously known as the Search Generative Experience, or SGE, to users in the US and soon around the world. Pretty soon, billions of Google users will see an AI-generated summary at the top of many of their search results. And that’s only the beginning of how AI is changing search.

And from a few months back…

David Pierce, The Verge:

A few minutes ago, I opened the new Arc Search app and typed, “What happened in the Chiefs game?” That game, the AFC Championship, had just wrapped up. Normally, I’d Google it, click on a few links, and read about the game that way. But in Arc Search, I typed the query and tapped the “Browse for me” button instead.

Arc Search, the new iOS app from The Browser Company, which has been working on a browser called Arc for the last few years, went to work. It scoured the web — reading six pages, it told me, from Twitter to The Guardian to USA Today — and returned a bunch of information a few seconds later. I got the headline: Chiefs win. I got the final score, the key play, a “notable event” that also just said the Chiefs won, a note about Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, a bunch of related links, and some more bullet points about the game.

I think I finally put a finger on what bothers me so much about the push for AI based searches.

It reduces the entire web to an answer. Yes, many times, we want to learn one detail, but by searching for it, we may learn additional data points, find the writing of a writer we admire, or end up down an entirely different rabbit hole, which leads to discoveries of its own.

Tools like Arc Search and where Google is heading (to where web searches are going to be a toggle) essentially boil down hundreds if not millions of results – and the effort behind those results – to a pithy blurb.

It’s very similar to how we’ve reduced movies and TV to content, and our attention spans from being able to watch full movies to barely making it through an entire TikTok.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a part of, responsible for, and facing those same struggles with my admiration of and attention to the work of others…but goddamnit, we’re more than a blurb. We’re more than an answer. We’re more than a tweet. We’re more than a Reel. More than a TikTok.

And its time we start showing the web that.

In continued Bands-Marty-Likes-Are-Dropping-New-Albums news - Nada Surf’s got Moon Mirror coming out on September 13 and And So I Watch You From Afar is back in August with Megafauna. A good year for music, indeed.

Los Campesinos! have announced their next album to release this July, All Hell. The first single, “Feast of Tongues” is up, and it’s definitely a progression from the sound of Sick Scenes.

I am very excited for this one.

Hard Drive, like it’s mother publication The Hard Times, always feels a bit like its narrowcasting right to me.

Today’s example: “Console Startup Sounds Ranked by How Well They Cure My Depression”

Seems I’ve been sleeping on the current Joshua Williamson / Jamal Campbell Superman run. Checked out Vol. 1 tonight, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Wow.

After 20 years of fandom…I’m very excited to say, I’ll be seeing The Go! Team LIVE this November!

Luke Plunkett, Aftermath:

For those who know what this is, stop reading and enjoy! For those who don’t know what Famicase is, every year the indie Japanese games store Meteor holds an exhibition where artists from all over the world submit fake Famicom cartridges featuring game ideas that can be cool, interesting, funny, macabre, whatever! Maybe all of those things! Note that these games aren’t real, and you can’t play them; they’re just jokes/pitches/ideas.

There are actual cartridges hanging on the wall in the store if you’re lucky enough to be able to visit in person, but since most of us can’t, the best we can do is admire them from afar courtesy of Meteor’s online showcase. You can view them all there, and definitely should, but for now I’d also just like to highlight some of my favourites…

Truly, I always enjoy seeing these every year, and it’s because of Luke Plunkett that I’ve been reminded of them each time. Thanks for keeping the legacy alive, Luke!

How is there not a US version of this using NES cartridges?

Check out the full gallery here. I’ve attached my personal favorite: PermaChroma, by Joe Wright.

Trying to get tickets to (finally!) see The Go! Team live, when they tour the US in November. On sale is 10am. Wish me luck.

Chris Tapsel, Eurogamer:

If it weren’t for the people involved, in 2024, these closures would almost feel routine. This is far from the end of Xbox, of course - in Los Angeles next month, it’ll hold yet another make-or-break press conference, that maps out yet another plan for rescuing a lost generation. But be it through exasperation or exhaustion - or the wider industry’s sheer, pent-up rage - this feels like something of a nadir. Xbox has spun its wheels for more than a decade, lurching from U-turn to U-turn, strategic reboot to strategic reboot, acquisition to acquisition, closure to closure. The good times have always felt just over the horizon. Project Scorpio will set the tone; Game Pass is the future; the Series X will have the games; Starfield will jump-start Game Pass now it’s stalled. The growing sentiment today is that they’ll probably never come.

The immediate response is, justifiably, anger. Closing studios always feels villainous, but closing award-winning ones, ones with eminent talent, creativity and expertise, feels genuinely absurd - just as it did with Take-Two and the wonderful people of Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program developer Squad, only last week. But with Microsoft and Xbox, the problem feels part of something bigger. Trace a line through the modern history of Xbox - from the end of the 360 era, through the lost years of the Xbox One, to the present day - and a scarlet thread becomes clear. This is a platform holder that has lost its purpose and direction, that fundamentally - and perhaps inevitably, given the sheer vastness of its parent company - misunderstands why it exists.

The video games journalism world is whirlwind dunking on Microsoft in a way I’ve not seen since…last weekend, when Kendrick absolutely wiped the floor with Drake.

Brutal headline, too.

Batman: Caped Crusader will finally be hitting Amazon on August 1st. EW’s got a First Look. I’m sure the internet will be normal about the changes to Harley Quinn.

A new trailer for A Quiet Place: Day One has been released. They better not harm that cat.

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Bros. has made it official: It will be returning to Middle Earth.

On Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, CEO David Zaslav said that the company is “now in the early stages of script development” for new Lord of the Rings movies, which he says they “anticipate releasing in 2026” and will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

Zaslav says that director Peter Jackson and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way.”

Random news drop this morning, but its not one that should be super surprising, given that Zaslav has pushed so hard the use of WB’s existing franchises since he took over the head role there.

Thankfully, this doesn’t appear to be a remake of the trilogy, but something else in the Tolkien world. Knowing that Jackson and Boyens are involved is somewhat of a relief, but I don’t know what meat there is on the bone here.

For those who may be going, “2026? Without a script? That’s fast!” Sadly, this is the route of Hollywood now. Set the release date and work backwards. And it’s not like Peter Jackson is new to this, he infamously “winged it” during the production of the Hobbit trilogy.

Aside: Did you know there’s a CG Lord of the Rings movie that’s supposed to be hitting theaters this Holiday? Yeah. Really. For real.

EDIT: Update from Variety. Quoting a press release, the movie will be The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and it will both star – and be directed by – Andy Serkis. Huh.

RIP Steve Albini. What an absolute legend.

Grace Dean, Insider:

Many consumers are thinking carefully about how they spend every dollar, with some cutting back on visits to quick-service restaurants, as executives told investors on a series of earnings calls last week. To win penny-pinching customers back, some say they’re planning smaller price increases for the rest of the year.

Several fast-food chains described a gloomy outlook. The chief financial officer of Wendy’s, Gunther Plosch, told investors on Thursday that consumers were “still under pressure” — especially those with household incomes under $75,000. “They are reducing frequency, so visitation is down,” he said.

Chains raised prices drastically during the pandemic to offset rising labor and food costs, and it’s coming back to bite them. Some diners are cutting back, saying fast food is too expensive and no longer represents good value.

OK, so…the headline of this article is…

Fast-food chains are getting the message about soaring prices

And one of the first statements is…

To win penny-pinching customers back, some say they’re planning smaller price increases for the rest of the year.

So your plan to win back customers who dislike how high prices have become is to…

…continue to raise prices.

More slowly, but still. Raise.

Are we all that dumb? Number cannot forever go up. Number can drop. Number can stay maybe. But Number does not always go up.

Lower your prices, provide a better experience for employees and customers alike, and people will flock to your restaurants.

“Oh, our profits aren’t high enough!”, you’ll cry. But profits you’ll still have. And in this economy, that is your win.

I swear I’m going to avoid being super political, as we’ve got a long road to November but…

…our third best option is someone who had PART OF THEIR BRAIN EATEN?!!

Had a change of heart! Originally had an 11-inch iPad Pro and new Pencil ordered as of last night. Thought more about it…for what I use my iPad for, the new Air really is a leg up and more accurate to my use. So…cancelled and ordered the Air! Feeling pretty good about this.

Today has been new iPad announcement day, and while you’ll find much better recaps + details elsewhere, I’ll just say for me…

• Not sure if I should go Pro or Air (I’m looking to replace my 2020 Pro)
• Def gonna grab the pencil, think I will wait on the keyboard.

Now to get a trade-in estimate.

Ugh, more video game industry cuts, this time at Microsoft. I get – due to the failures of Redfall – Arkane, but Tango Gameworks?! Hi-Fi Rush was one of the most unique games in years, and a hell of a time to play. This sucks.

Nintendo has finally officially confirmed what anyone with a pulse knew: the successor to the Switch will be announced within the next year.

James Gunn on Threads:

Get ready. Superman 7.11.25 @dcofficial … The above photo was taken on set by Jess Miglio and was entirely in-camera.

Here we go, folks. After what feels like ages of hype and excitement, the first fruit of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Comics movie universe has been revealed, as we get a look at David Corenswet (The Politician) as Kal-El/Clark/Superman.

I’ve attached the image to this post, and I have to say: I really like the vibe here.

After what feels like ages of Hollywood looking at Superman and having only the creatively bankrupt idea of “What If Superman was…evil?!” as if it were a new, original thought, to see a more…mundane version of Superman is kind of wild.

You can practically hear the sigh, as he remembers that his job isn’t done, he’s gotta go back to work, pull on the boots, and face down evil and terror once again.

It’s humanizing, something that is so easily forgotten about who Superman is as a character.

Given that James Gunn made a world care about a talking raccoon and a tree, I feel like that his version of the Last Son of Krypton will speak to us all. Finally.

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.

If the new Justice album was out in the late 90’s, you KNOW every PS1 racing game would license a song from it.

To celebrate today’s unofficial “holiday”, Lucasfilm has released a new trailer for The Acolyte, which premieres in June. It looks good as hell, and thankfully: different.

Fun new Apple ad in time for tomorrow’s Star Wars Day.

Sure, it’s an ad for their Find My feature (with the precision locating found only on iPhone 15), but I thought it did a good job of capturing the mundane process of finding your pals at a convention.

My iTunes copy of Ocean’s Eleven got upgraded to 4K, so I’ve got that on in the background while I work from home. I could – and have – watched this movie a million times over.

Oh boy! Ted Leo has chosen this Bandcamp Friday to release the demos for his 2003 classic, Shake the Sheets.

Germain Lussier, Gizmodo:

io9 is honored to exclusively debut a brand new poster for Godzilla Minus One by Phantom City Creative. Released by Bottleneck Gallery and Ish, it’ll go on sale Friday, May 3 at noon ET at this site. Capturing Godzilla in a cloud of fire, the poster comes in three different editions, all 24 x 36 inch screenprints.

Godzilla Minus One was one of my favorites of 2023, and this poster is absolutely stunning. I’ve featured the black-and-white variant in my post here, and if you want to see all three versions, head to the source link above.

Should you be interested, hit this link on Friday, May 3, 2024 at Noon Eastern.

Luke Plunkett, Aftermath:

Remember how in February publisher Take-Two–who, thanks to Grand Theft Auto, have more money than you or I could ever conceive–had no current layoff plans, then two months later went out and laid off 600 people? We’ve learned today via Bloomberg that among those 600 people are everyone at two of the company’s studios: Intercept Games (Kerbal Space Program 2) and Roll7, which are both being closed.

While it’s still unclear what the future will hold for Kerbal Space Program 2–a game that hasn’t had the best time since launching last year, but will apparently still be receiving “updates”–I had a particular fondness for Roll7, a studio that was only bought by Take-Two in 2021! It had been around in some form since 2008, and in that time had developed a ton of very cool video games, from the side-scrolling skateboarding series OlliOlli to rollerskate murder simulator Rollerdrome to the much-expanded OlliOlli World.

This absolutely sucks. The OlliOlli games – along with Rollerdrome – are some of the most fun, polished, unique and engaging experiences I’ve had in gaming over the last few years, and now, because they were acquired just 3 years ago, and Number Must Go Up, this talent team is being gutted, drawn and quartered.

Going beyond official recognition, I also honestly believe the OlliOlli titles are some of the best skateboarding games ever made, and that the studio should be applauded for the work they put into making their games look amazing as well; Roll7 games had such a unique and vibrant style that in a previous life I wrote art features on both OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome in the same year.

But now two entire studios are toast, all because a company with revenue in the billions woke up one day and decided it didn’t need to keep them around anymore. And why would they, when all they really care about is shaking people down for spare change every second minute they’re playing Grand Theft Auto Online or NBA 2K.

And that’s the point. What’s the line in Mad Max: Fury Road? “Do not, my friends become addicted to water, it will take hold of you and you will resent its absence.”

These super studios are so massive, and so dependent upon the recurring DLC revenue of live service games and its ilk, that they’re cutting themselves down to just those sorts of titles. Much like the drum I keep beating about movies, we’re fast approaching in gaming the place that the movie industry has arrived in: you get two games now – the massive AAA blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto VI or Assassin’s Creed: This Years Location and Era or the stunning, quirky indie successes, like Vampire Survivors or Balatro.

The last two weeks, I’ve found myself immersed in the gaming of the 90’s and 00’s, thanks to Delta on my phone and the Miyoo Mini+ I just got in the mail. You know what’s great about those games? They’re simple. The gameplay is the focus. You don’t need to buy DLC. The experience is contained.

I may be Old Man Yelling At Cloud here, but game studios – seriously – lower the production values, up the actual value for the customer. There’s a reason why so many years on, the Nintendo Switch was outselling the new gen systems.

In the meantime: I hope the Roll7 team lands as well as they can, and should they decide to re-form and start a Kickstarter for their next project, I’m there Day One.

Back on my game console tinkering BS.

I have to say, I’m really happy with the state of my website. It’s lightweight, contains all of my posts (longer and shorter), and cross-posts where I want it to cross-post to.

Owning your own part of the web really is key, gang.

I did not realize that Godspeed You! Black Emperor had been playing new songs on their current tour. There’s a playlist on YouTube with really great bootlegs of all three of them. New album soon, I hope.

The new owners of The Onion are being hilariously aggressive and I love it. (And it’s the entire homepage right now.)

If you’ve got $1200 and a crippling toy robot addiction, the new Self-Transforming Megatron is for you!

While I’m sure most will be drooling at the Artemis Space Launch System set from today’s LEGO announcements, I’m most intrigued and enthused about the Milky Way art set. SO cool.

Great Polygon interview with writer Ram V regarding his current Dark Horse series, Dawnrunner. I read issue one and adored it – a great concept met with incredible art from Evan Cagle - and I cannot wait for the trade!

“Uh, sir, you might get people turning against you for the TikTok ban.” “Time to fuck with the airlines.”

I swear, I’m not trying to be Old Man Who Yells At Cloud, but this whole TikTok thing just underlines that if you are running a business online, you need a direct voice to your customers which you own. Mailing list, your own site, all of it.

Edward Zitron, Where’s Your Ed At?:

This is the story of how Google Search died, and the people responsible for killing it.

The story begins on February 5th 2019, when Ben Gomes, Google’s head of search, had a problem. Jerry Dischler, then the VP and General Manager of Ads at Google, and Shiv Venkataraman, then the VP of Engineering, Search and Ads on Google properties, had called a “code yellow” for search revenue due to, and I quote, “steady weakness in the daily numbers” and a likeliness that it would end the quarter significantly behind.

A blistering read from Ed Zitron breaking down the managerial changes and overall focus on profits before people which has – perhaps irreparably – ruined Google search.

I feel like the term “enshittification” has become an overused shorthand for “thing I don’t like”, but this is the term at its purist. A focus on Fuck Yours, Got Mine on a massive level, which trickles down across the web as a whole.

A reckoning is coming, of this, I am sure.

I’ve discovered World Chase Tag, and I’m sorry, I think I’m going to make this my personality moving forward.

The announcement graphic for next month’s Apple (presumed) iPad Event is really well done. Kudos to the illustrator.

Jason Koebler, 404 Media

For years, people who have found Google search frustrating have been adding “Reddit” to the end of their search queries. This practice is so common that Google even acknowledged the phenomenon in a post announcing that it will be scraping Reddit posts to train its AI. And so, naturally, there are now services that will poison Reddit threads with AI-generated posts designed to promote products.

A service called ReplyGuy advertises itself as “the AI that plugs your product on Reddit” and which automatically “mentions your product in conversations naturally.” Examples on the site show two different Redditors being controlled by AI posting plugs for a text-to-voice product called “AnySpeech” and a bot writing a long comment about a debt consolidation program called Debt Freedom Now.

This here is why we cannot have nice things.

That said: the name of the tool being “Reply Guy”? Honestly, no notes. What a perfect assessment of this internet ruining tool.

Anyone else really love the recent “Add-to-Dock” functionality for making websites sandboxed “apps”? They’re great for streaming services.

Watch the new trailer for Marvel Studios’ #DeadpoolAndWolverine. Only in theaters July 26.

The “For You” section of Threads is the most baiting, triggering horseshit. So glad I can just follow those I care about over there through Mastodon.

…provided that they’ve turned on federation…

They say kill the part of you which is cringe, and to just be you, right?

Here goes: The first two Coldplay albums are good and might be what Radiohead would’ve been if they were more commercial.

I align with Elizabeth Warren on many things, but she is way too far out of her element when it comes to discussing Apple / iMessage. We really need more of the tech generation in office.

Germain Lussier, Gizmodo/io9:

The best art inspires more incredible art and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films have certainly done that. In addition to the artistry in the films themselves, graphic designers from all over the world have been moved to create gorgeous Dune posters—and the latest may be the most unique, and quite possibly the best, one yet.

Korean American artist Deb JJ Lee has created just a sumptuous, stunning poster for Dune: Part One, which is being released Friday April 19 by the team at Mutant. It’s their first collaboration together and, after seeing this full image, you have to imagine it won’t be their last. io9 is honored to exclusively debut your first look at Deb JJ Lee’s Dune: Part One from Mutant.

Goddamn, what a print. You can click through the source link to view the variant.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a print I was enthused about, and having the ex-Mondo crew deliver here shines all the stronger for it.

Granted, I don’t have the wall space, but I have the enthusiasm.

If you have the wall space, along with the cash ($75 for the standard, $100 for the variant), head to MadeByMutant.com tomorrow, April 19, 2024 at 1pm Eastern to pick one up. And I’ll be keeping an eye on Deb JJ Lee moving forward.

Paramount Pictures on YouTube:

Every Transformer has an origin. Watch the new trailer for #TransformersOne - only in theatres September 20.

TRANSFORMERS ONE is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. In the first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, TRANSFORMERS ONE features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi with Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.

I’m not sure what I expected from a CG animated Transformers movie, but I definitely don’t think it was this.

It might just work? Either way, I’ve landed on intrigued. Of note, it’s the director of Toy Story 4 behind this, so the pedigree is strong.

Netflix on YouTube:

Inspired by the unbelievable true story, a strait-laced professor (Glen Powell) uncovers his hidden talent as a fake hit man in undercover police stings. He meets his match in a client (Adria Arjona) who steals his heart and ignites a powder keg of deception, delight, and mixed-up identities.

From Academy Award-nominated writer/director Richard Linklater and co-written by Glen Powell, HIT MAN comes to select theaters in May and only on Netflix June 7.

Oh boy, this looks like a great time.

Get ready for maximum Glen Powell this Summer, by the way, with this and Twisters hitting over the warm months.

iOS folks – the Delta emulator is FINALLY available on the App Store. I cannot wait to dig into this when I get home.

Edit: More of a write up on it is available now at The Verge.

Riley MacLeod, Aftermath:

This, I think, is what’s actually pissing the AI people off about Brownlee’s Humane review. He is clear that he has no fealty to them or their stock prices (“I literally don’t care what the stock price is of any company, of any product I review,” he says.) He even says in his video that “my reviews are technically not for” these products’ makers, which must be infuriating to our new Gilded Age robber barons who need constant reassurances of their genius. Because Brownlee isn’t in the business of promoting them or even talking to them, he’s not required to tout AI’s potential.

If you’ve missed The Discourse™ about MKBHD’s review of the Humane AI pin, Congrats! You’re not Extremely Online. But for those who do have a stake in the conversation, I think MacLeod’s piece I’ve linked above does a great job of summarizing both the situation and my personal beliefs on it.

I’ve expressed privately my confusion of the number of companies which grew to massive size not on the work they’ve delivered or the contributions they have made to our day-to-day lives, but more on the potential of doing so.

These reviews – and more specifically, the pearl-clutching of those who are insulted by reviewers, well, reviewing work – are the beginning (in my opinion) of a much needed reckoning.

Potential means nothing. Actions and reality are everything. I’m sorry that it took interest rates changing for a slue of folks to realize this, but you’re only worth what you actually do.

Read the reviews for Guy Richie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and there are a lot of comparisons to his The Man from UNCLE remake, which pretty much means: I’m gonna love it.

Not that I disliked my prior car (Toyota CH-R), but I actively get excited about driving my new car. Dang hybrid has some zip in it!

Follow up to my post about how Disney+ should have “channels”…per a paywalled post at The Information, they’re in progress and should launch soon. You’re welcome, Bob.

As I read posts about the increasing costs of game development, and that being used as justification for DLC, predatory pay-to-win models, etc.

What about making cheaper, less bleeding-edge games? I’d be fine with a 1080p game that’s super fun to play versus a 4K title with all the monetization.

Got a new car today. It has Wireless CarPlay. As a long time tech nerd, I can say wholeheartedly: it’s dark magic and I know not the horrors which allow it to work.

Shout out Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball for letting you swap to the local radio audio.

Now that Hulu and Disney+ are integrated, there’s even less excuse for them to not have a series of live channels a’la PlutoTV or Peacock.

24/7 Marvel, 24/7 Star Wars, 24/7 Classics, or a channel that is just The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, King of the Hill, etc.

The Fallout TV series has been out for just under 12 hours. It takes roughly 8 hours to watch. The “Fallout Ending Explained!” stories are already published. What are we even doing here?

David Pierce, The Verge:

That raises the second question: should you buy this thing? That one’s easy. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can’t think of anyone to whom I’d recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription.

David Pierce absolutely whirlwind dunking on the Humane AI Pin in his review this morning. Goddamn!

Cherlynn Low at Engadget did not care for it either.

If the headline of “The Humane AI Pin is the solution to none of technology’s problems” wasn’t clear enough, here’s a pretty damning pull quote:

Not only is the Humane AI Pin slow, finicky and barely even smart, using it made me look pretty dumb. In a few days of testing, I went from being excited to show it off to my friends to not having any reason to wear it.

I had a feeling that the Pin was a solution looking for a problem, but I didn’t realize it’d be this downright useless or bad. Not the best first step for the Humane team.

The first Joker movie was a cynical, joyless movie, devoid of any interest or care in the character, slapping a license upon a barely related film. The trailer for the sequel looks just as head scratching. Good luck with that one, gang.

Overcast.fm:

Join Seth Meyers as he sits down with fellow SNL alum and comedy-music sensations The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone) to discuss their wildly popular and groundbreaking series of SNL Digital Shorts that aired on Saturday Night Live beginning in 2005. Episode by episode they’ll discuss how each short was created, what the response to it was at the time, and what impact, if any, it still has today. Aided by Seth, the guys will relive their time at SNL and reminisce on the nearly 50-year-old show from a time when putting short comedy sketches on the internet was so novel that they maybe even helped launch YouTube to do it. Along the way they’ll talk all things SNL from guests, fellow cast members, and favorite live sketches including many that never aired.

The Lonely Island has had a near direct line to my funnybone since I first became aware of them and their work in 2005.

In fact, the free giveaway of “Lazy Sunday” was my first iTunes video “purchase”.

Since then, they’ve released three albums, over a hundred shorts, and produced two of my favorite comedies of all time, in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and Hot Rod.

Suffice to say, the moment I heard that Andy, Jorma and Akiva were going to be doing a watchalong/look back podcast with Seth Meyers, I was in.

The first episode hit on Monday, and is more about their road to Saturday Night Live and their struggles in getting on air. The Lonely Island gang are great storytellers, and their friendship comes through (though I believe its all recorded remotely). Seth acts as the perfect host, and if you are at all a fan of how comedy is made or the behind the scenes of SNL, I cannot recommend this enough.

If you’re not aware of The Lonely Island for whatever reason, get on watching Popstar. Immediately.

Polygon

Uniqlo’s latest video game collaboration may be its best yet. It teamed up with Nintendo on six T-shirts inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and they’re coming to stores in late April. Each $24.90 T-shirt features iconography and characters from Tears of the Kingdom.

As usual, Uniqlo has put together a pretty sweet series of tees for a licensed property.

I think the pocket tees with the Korok’s peeking out is the most clever of the set.

I’m not sure whether to be mad at – or proud of – the Noodles & Co. marketing exec who came up with this slogan.

I didn’t expect The Ringer to be the site to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Monument Valley, yet, here we are.

The Verge

Instagram’s co-founders built a powerful and useful tool for recommending news to readers — but could never quite get it to scale. Yahoo has hundreds of millions of readers — but could use a dose of tech-forward cool to separate it from all the internet’s other news aggregators. And so, the two sides are joining forces: Yahoo is acquiring Artifact, the companies announced on Tuesday.

The few times I gave Artifact a spin, I did think it was a compelling way to have news articles raised up and aggregated to your personal taste. At the same time, the weird social features seemed to get absolutely drowned by people trying to push their app/crypto/etc.

Keep the algorithmic news, drop the tech bros holding court like this is LinkedIn, and I think Yahoo! may actually have something compelling in their portfolio that isn’t Fantasy Sports related.

Driving home from another great Super Art Fight event, I had my Apple Music library on shuffle.

Not sure if that’s just a me thing to do, or others handle their music libraries the same way, but that’s not the point.

The song “War on Torpour” from the amazing Canadian post-rock band Do Make Say Think came on, off their 2017 release Stubborn Persistent Illusions.

It’s a hell of a song, and a great kick off to an album. After a slow, yet intense build, the song goes in all sorts of directions.

Here, give it a listen.

Pretty rad, right? Comes in with a lot of energy and a feeling of catharsis, not to mention the drumming is out of this world.

Thing is, for years and years, I just knew that song and its driivng force. Honestly, that’s really what I knew of Do Make Say Think’s music - the sound, the noise, the feeling.

During COVID, I looked up a live performance of the band – and not only is there a killer rendition on YouTube, via House of Strumbo, but I was hit upon not just delight at how well they performed the song, but a reminder that I was seeing – finally – how that incredible noise was made. You can forget that these songs are the efforts of individuals, making noise, together.

That should be timed to the song’s appearance in the video. If not, it’s at 24:45.

It was a crash course for me in not just respecting their efforts, but seeing the craft which spawned it. The magic trick, explained, even if I couldn’t believe it, as my ears and eyes couldn’t jive their perceptions of the work.

I don’t want to sound like an Old Man Yelling at a Cloud here, but I think we forget the art we digest is through the skill and effort of the artesian. They made the magic. Their dedication gave us something to appreciate and love.

And that hung with me on this drive home, how lucky we are to just be able to digest the art of so many, so easily, in a way more accessible than ever before. It’s a lucky time.

Jennifer Maas, Variety:

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and other unions representing film and TV writers and journalists sent a letter to Congress Thursday urging protections for their industries in any legislation regarding Artificial Intelligence.

Addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the letter was co-signed by the NewsGuild-CWA, Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), and National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET-CWA).

“So far this year, our members have witnessed the impact of unregulated AI on their jobs,” the letter, obtained by Variety, states. “Major news media companies, including Gannett and G/O Media sites, deployed AI articles with fake bylines to replace the work of hardworking local and digital journalists and writers. Film and television writers won critical protections in their collective bargaining agreement, but their work continues to be used by AI developers without their consent.”

This is going to be the first of many instances of different worker organizations speaking up and speaking out to their government about further regulating AI.

My galaxy brained take? The AI revolution will lead to greater adoption of unions and collective bargaining. And I couldn’t be more for that.

Netflix on YouTube:

Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars Jerry Seinfeld in his directorial debut.

Unfrosted is coming to Netflix on May 3.

Following in the footsteps of other Movies About How This Thing Was Made, like The Social Network, BlackBerry, Air, Tetris, The Founder and many, many others, Jerry Seinfeld (of all people) directs the story of the humble Pop-Tart in Unfrosted.

Personally, I thought Jerry was more of a cereal guy, but I suppose I was wrong.

Strong cast, with people like Melissa McCarthy, Bill Burr and Hugh Grant, so maybe this won’t be too bad? Or maybe it’ll just slide off the public consciousness like most Netflix movies.

Do you think we get a S’mores Pop-Tarts post credits scene?

Mike Langley, McSweeny’s:

That’s a good one. Ha ha. Go ahead and type your email address in the box. Please.

Look, just write it. Hit the enter key. Now give me your password. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.

What, you want me to level with you? You want to know how real this gets?

If I let any more non-subscribers in, they’re gonna kill me. They’re gonna kill my family. Bam. Done.

That’s right, just type the password in the box. Nice and easy.

That wasn’t so bad, was it?

A gloriously grim first person article from everyone’s favorite paywall, The New York Times. Absolutely nails it.

Granted, it must be effective, as I now pay for two newspaper subscriptions, not also including Apple News+.

The New York Times (Paywall):

The concept of the A.I. software is so novel and quirky that when we — Brian X. Chen, a tech columnist who reviewed the Ray-Bans last year, and Mike Isaac, who covers Meta and wears the smart glasses to produce a cooking show — heard about it, we were dying to try it. Meta gave us early access to the update, and we took the technology for a spin over the last few weeks.

The artificial intelligence technology in Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses uses cameras and image recognition to give the wearer information about what he or she is looking at. We wore the glasses to the zoo, grocery stores and a museum while grilling the A.I. with questions and requests.

The upshot: We were simultaneously entertained by the virtual assistant’s goof-ups — for example, mistaking a monkey for a giraffe — and impressed when it carried out useful tasks like determining that a pack of cookies was gluten-free.

Is this impressive tech? Absolutely. Do I see a use for it in my day to day life? Absolutely not.

I feel awkward enough asking Siri for anything, and I’ve been using her since my iPhone 4S way back in 2011.

Maybe the more digital native generations will glom onto this, and maybe future updates will make the process less awkward, but the more I see breakdowns like these, I see solutions looking for problems, rather than the other way around.

If this sort of thing is your jam, though? It’s some of the best integrated A.I. tech I’ve seen so far.

Chew Boom:

7-Eleven has unveiled a bold addition to its beverage lineup with the introduction of Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water, developed in partnership with Miracle Seltzer. This unique offering joins the array of 7-Select sparkling waters, presenting fans with a range of innovative flavors.

In collaboration with Miracle Seltzer, 7-Eleven has curated a selection of sparkling waters featuring intriguing flavors such as Lemon Lime, Green Apple, Sweet Orange, and the unconventional Hot Dog, inspired by one of 7-Eleven’s signature snacks, the Big Bite Hot Dog.

…wait, what the hell?

The Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water promises to encapsulate the essence of the iconic 7-Eleven hot dog experience, complete with the flavors of ketchup and mustard. This innovative beverage aims to transform the traditional pairing of hot dogs and sodas, allowing consumers to enjoy the essence of their favorite snack in a refreshing bubbly form.

That’s it. Wrap up the run of the human race. We’re done here.

While details regarding the availability of the Big Bite Hot Dog Sparkling Water will be disclosed on April 1, the rest of the 7-Select x Miracle Seltzer range, including Lemon Lime, Green Apple, and Sweet Orange flavors, can already be found at select 7-Eleven stores.

OH! It’s a gag. Thank God.

Running a test.

Feels a little odd to post my normal level of wacky bullshit today, all things considered. Back doing my thing tomorrow.

Maybe you’ve heard of the Waffle House Index, as a sign of severity of storm damage. But have you heard of The Pizza Meter, as a sign of impending war?

Unlike me, MacStories' John Voorhees actually understands the law, and has put together a great explainer of the DOJ vs. Apple case.

NPR:

The world of influencing is pretty simple.

Companies from the likes of Airbnb to Amazon to Louis Vuitton pay people with a lot of followers on social media to promote their products. These creators then make content, typically videos, where they recommend the products and services, often adding a discount code their followers can use to sweeten the deal.

…

It has evolved over time and can now include things like the “come shopping with me” trend that emulates the feeling of casually shopping with a friend. The influencers film themselves walking around stores and filling their carts with clothing, makeup, cute little bowls for your ramen noodles and, of course, Stanley cups.

…

De-influencing encourages people to buy less stuff and instead use what they already have.

I did not expect to share two articles related to sustainability today, but here we are.

In what I’d chalk up as another moment in the win column for Gen-Z, The Kids® are pushing up against the last few years of influencer culture, and saying, “Hey, wait, why do we need all of this crap?”

As someone who has been looking around his house and considered purging quite a bit, it’s a concept that I can absolutely agree with. Ironic, given how much of my last day job involved influencers.

I think the next generation is putting a strong focus on being genuine, real, and considerate, and rejection of capitalistic norms like these is just another example of it.

Now, how much this eventually effects our economy and relationship with countries that produce all of this junk…that’s for someone much smarter than me to consider. In the meantime: I breathe a sigh of relief that some people are still considering more than themselves.

Apple (apparently) finally allowing for greater homescreen customization for iOS 18 sounds pretty cool. Now, can I have the option to revert back to the old, non-interactive Reminders widget?

I cannot say that I expected Spotify to become an e-learning hub.

The Dieline:

Let’s say you’re a sustainable healthcare company selling over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in compostable and refillable packaging. Pain relief, allergy, cold and flu—all the good stuff that prompts many late-night Walgreens runs. You offer consumers a bottle—a beautiful, frosted glass bottle that looks great in a medicine cabinet—they can fill for the rest of their lives.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? You can high-five yourself because you’ll never buy Tylenol again. That’s just another plastic bottle that would likely end up in a landfill.

But you’re also a young brand with maybe just a few years under your belt. And now, lo and behold, Target comes calling. They want to stock your products because they believe in your core mission of sustainability. Swell, huh? But now you not only have to stand out on the shelf, you need to explain to shoppers—who have no clue who you are—what your brand is and how it actually works.

Very cool write up from The Dieline, not just showcasing some very cool, very effective packaging design for the sustainable medicine brand Cabinet, but also digging into the tough parts of selling to customers the “buy the package once, then refills only after” ethos.

This made me excited to buy aspirin, y’all.

3 Body Problem, or: Wait A Second, Benedict Wong is British?!

I’m bummed that it’s taken this long, but I’m glad to see the FTC do something about the crazy increases in grocery prices, while those orgs take in massive profits.

I’d prefer that it weren’t, you know, clear, but this featherless down jacket design is wild.

Disney+ on YouTube:

The upcoming season of “Doctor Who” follows the Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday as they travel across time and space, with adventures all the way from the Regency era in England, to war-torn future worlds. Throughout their adventures in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – they encounter incredible friends and dangerous foes, including a terrifying bogeyman, and the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet.

A new era, a new Doctor, an influx of cash money from the mouse, this should make for a great time.

I really enjoyed the anniversary specials over the holidays, including the debut of Ncuti Gatwa, who was a lot of fun in the role, so I look forward to the release!

For the first time, it’s a world-wide debut, with episodes hitting Disney+ around the world starting on Friday, May 10th, 2024 at 7pm Eastern. That’s midnight, UK time.

Larian will NOT be making a Baldur’s Gate 4, it seems. I just heard so many of my friends groan at this news.

Bloomberg is reporting that OpenAI is meeting with Hollywood execs, studios and more to encourage filmmakers to use their Sora AI generated video tool. I do not care for this.

The internet was ablaze yesterday, as the United States Department of Justice officially did as rumored and decided, well, they were gonna sue Apple!

As The New York Times (paywalled) put it…

The federal government’s aggressive crackdown on Big Tech expanded on Thursday to include an antitrust lawsuit by the Justice Department against Apple, one of the world’s best-known and most valuable companies.

The department joined 16 states and the District of Columbia to file a significant challenge to the reach and influence of Apple, arguing in an 88-page lawsuit that the company had violated antitrust laws with practices that were intended to keep customers reliant on their iPhones and less likely to switch to a competing device. The tech giant prevented other companies from offering applications that compete with Apple products like its digital wallet, which could diminish the value of the iPhone, and hurts consumers and smaller companies that compete with it, the government said.

Sixteen states! Eighty eight pages! This is a Big Boy Document! They are serious about this one.

Let’s dig more into those accusations, shall we?

By tightly controlling the user experience on iPhones and other devices, Apple has created what critics call an uneven playing field, where it grants its own products and services access to core features that it denies rivals. Over the years, it has limited finance companies’ access to the phone’s payment chip and Bluetooth trackers from tapping into its location-service feature. It’s also easier for users to connect Apple products, like smartwatches and laptops, to the iPhone than to those made by other manufacturers.

This is the point and purpose of having a technology stack. Integrated systems which work together. Guess what? If you want to use a Fitbit (Google product) with an iPhone, you can. If you want to connect your iPhone to a Windows machine? You can.

You can do those things. But it’s better, easier, and works more cohesively via Apple products. Because Apple can account for all of their hardware and its quirks. This is no different – in my opinion – than JoyCons working more accurately on a Nintendo Switch than on an iPad. You sure can connect JoyCons to an iPad, but they sure as hell don’t work as well.

The lawsuit asks the court to stop Apple from engaging in current practices, including blocking cloud-streaming apps, undermining messaging across smartphone operating systems and preventing the creation of digital wallet alternatives.

Blocking cloud-streaming apps? OK, yeah, you’ve got a point. I think that’s a great idea to open that realm up. That’s what the EU has done with their DMA (Digital Markets Act), and Apple responded with their latest iOS update to account for it. The response to Apple’s response has been mixed, but there’s precedent. Go for it, DoJ!

Undermining messaging across smartphone operating systems? Uh…the only thing they have is iMessage, which allows Apple based users to use their version of a more secure enclave for messaging, a’la a Signal. If an Android user – who does not have iMessage – sends a standard SMS text to an Apple user, guess what? Apple users get that SMS. Yes! There is that green bubble versus the blue bubble thing – but that is almost exclusively a US based issue. Internationally, most people use WhatsApp…which doesn’t support SMS.

At best, maybe Apple should develop an iMessage app for Android or Windows. But I’ll be honest, I don’t see the point. And I know, you might argue “WHAT ABOUT RCS?” Apple’s on it. Sure, they got strong armed into it, but it’s happening.

Preventing the creation of digital wallet alternatives? I don’t even know what we’re fighting about here. The crummy US banking system already has tools like Zelle for you to send money. Perhaps I’m out of my realm here, but I definitely know that I’m not inclined to use a third-party payment tool.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. You’ve got the government taking credit for Apple’s success by way of the 90’s antitrust case against Microsoft, you’ve got the weird breakdown of calling Apple the primary vendor of “performance smartphones”, which isn’t a thing, but if it were, you could go after Ferrari or Bugatti for being successful there, it just goes on and on for 88 pages of nonsense. Minus that one decent argument about app installations / the App Store.

Let’s wrap this up, with the last bit from the New York Times story:

“Competition makes devices more private and more secure,” said Jonathan Kanter, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s antitrust division. “In many instances, Apple’s conduct has made its ecosystem less private and less secure.”

What better way to make things more private and more secure than opening it up to anyone and everyone, and not locking the doors behind them. Do they hear themselves?

Up next: Merrick Garland finds out his newly bought PlayStation 5 copy of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth won’t play on his Nintendo Switch, so he sues Sony.

Max on YouTube:

The next chapter in @TheBatman saga from Matt Reeves. Academy Award Nominee Colin Farrell is #ThePenguin in the new Max Original Series coming this fall to Max.

It’s been a bumpy two years since the release of The Batman, with writers strikes, actors strikes, and more, but the spin-off series The Penguin is finally on its way.

With the above teaser, we now know that the series will hit Max this Fall, and yes, Colin Farrell remains unrecognizable under all that makeup.

It looks like a no-nonsense crime drama, and I cannot wait to return to the orange hued version of Matt Reeves' The Batman universe.

Here’s a fun blast from the past: Steve Jobs promoting a PlayStation emulator for use on iMac. I had no idea this had happened.

Wild to think it’s been 10 years since Wye Oak released Shriek. They put out a special 10th Anniversary edition today, and it’s worth checking out for the crazy orchestral versions tacked onto the end. I recommend comparing both versions of “The Tower”.

I’ve been absolutely obsessed with Balatro since I picked it up a few weekends ago. This TouchArcade interview with its single(!) dev is a nice read if you’ve been obsessed too.

It was a fraught process, filled with some serious hold your breath moments…but! I think I’ve condensed everything to Micro.blog as a host, and blast-o-rama.com as the URL, with forwarding if you go to marty.day. Annnnd this should cross post to Mastodon/BlueSky, too!

Finally, the world is on my side: it’s OK to wear shoes in your house sometimes.

Making a major, AAA Marvel Comics game and setting it within World War II seems like a risk, but so far, it looks promising!

I like the push for electric/hybrid vehicles. Even if I’d like it sooner than 2032. Which reminds me, my lease is almost up…

The first teaser trailer for the next Alien installment, Alien: Romulus is out. I’m getting some real “highly-regarded-Dark-Horse-mini-series” vibes from it.

Right now I’ve got a mix of sites on different hosting.

• I’ve got a Micro.blog. (marty.day)
• I’ve got blast-o-rama which has been on WordPress for SIXTEEN YEARS now.
• And I’ve got an omg.lol account.

I’ve been thinking lately about merging my WordPress stuff into Micro.blog, but now omg.lol’s creator is hinting on their own blog service.

What the heck do I do? I’d like something cheaper, lightweight, and distributable. That’s all I’m considering in this.

Wow. X-Men ‘97 has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% Fresh score. I’ll be damned.

Spider-Man 2 for the PS5? Cost $300 million to make. Monopoly Go, a free to play mobile version of the board game? Spent $500 million on marketing alone. I have no idea how any of this is sustainable.

Picked up Hi-Fi Rush last night, now that it’s available on PS5. Really awesome game so far, but as a Nine Inch Nails fan, I about lost my mind when “1,000,000” kicked in. HELL YEAH

The trailer for the next Star Wars series – set well before the original films – has arrived. Say hello to The Acolyte.

I can already tell that this article from The Verge about the changes (end?) at Pitchfork is going to be a good read.

First, it was the Chicken Sandwich wars. Next? Chicken pizza wars. #FastFoodArmsRace

Today I learned that there was a whole-ass variant of asbestos we hadn’t banned here in the US. Until today. And it’s still gonna take years for it to be gone.

Picked up Balatro on Steam, since I could play it on my Mac. I totally get the hype. Now…when there’s a mobile version…

Very excited to hear what Marvel has planned for the next era of X-Men comics.

Very cool that Hello From The Magic Tavern is getting an animated series. Also: Turns out Sam Rockwell has a production company?

The New York Times:

But, according to a new report, none of these sightings were of alien spacecraft.

The new congressionally mandated Pentagon report found no evidence that the government was covering up knowledge of extraterrestrial technology and said there was no evidence that any U.F.O. sightings represented alien visitation to Earth.

The 63-page document is the most sweeping rebuttal the Pentagon has issued in recent years to counter claims that it has information on extraterrestrial visits or technology. But amid widespread distrust of the government, the report is unlikely to calm a growing obsession with aliens.

Suuuuuuuure. There’s nothing. And the report is true, not at all trying to calm a public hysteria.

And nice job trying to cover it up with the “individuals’ preconceptions and confirmation biases” dodge, Pentagon!

DC:

I can’t say a Zatanna series was on my list of must haves…and then I saw this bit of art from the announcement post…

That looks dope as hell. I’m in.

Many are going to be eulogizing Akira Toriyama today. With Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump and his designs for Dragon Quest, he was a defining artist for many. I’d like to shout out his work on the Tobal games, which didn’t need to go so hard for a game best known for having the Final Fantasy VII demo disc.

Watching Kyle Kinane’s new special, Dirt Nap. Dude is one of the best going, hands down.

An ongoing mystery I’ve not yet been able to solve. Of all the emoji you can get engraved on Apple products…why is the humble rocket 🚀 not an option?

It says a lot that the bit I’m most excited about from this bit of news was the word Original when it comes to films.

Surprised, and a little bummed, that among the many many creators, Jonathan Hickman is not among those contributing to the final Krakoa-era issue of X-Men.

Toyota made a real Cat Bus with help from Studio Ghibli. I love it.

VERY interested in this Steve Martin documentary coming to Apple TV+. https://www.thewrap.com/steve-martin-a-documentary-in-two-pieces-trailer/

We had to know this was coming, right? If Nintendo didn’t think this was going to be a Hydra situation, they weren’t prepping correctly. https://www.gamesradar.com/barely-12-hours-after-the-shutdown-of-major-nintendo-switch-emulator-yuzu-replacements-began-surfacing-online/

Very excited to watch the new version of Shōgun when I get home tonight.

Power Stone turns 25 today. And there’s no better time than the present for Capcom to announce a remaster or new installment or something… https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/02/anniversary-power-stone-one-of-capcoms-forgotten-classics-turns-25-today

Your reminder that Installer is one of the best reads of the week, over at The Verge every Sunday. (Or via newsletter every Saturday, if you like.) www.theverge.com/24081130/…

And that’s that. My time at the current job is complete. Wiped my laptop to mail back to them, and I start the new gig Tuesday. LFG.

There was a time when I considered making a go of blogging, taking my efforts and building it somewhere. Glad I didn’t.

Folks, I turn 40 this year. And I JUST NOW got that Firmware fits between Hardware and Software. Don’t let me vote.

Comics on the iPad, Premier League on the TV. Not a bad start for a Saturday.

Sitting here telling myself that even though it’s $300 off on Amazon, I don’t need an Apple Studio Display.

…the issue is, I really WANT one…

I think my favorite warning in the listing of various issues in a prescription drug ad is, “Don’t take [new drug you’re hearing about for the first time] if you’re allergic to [that drug].” A real help.

…and it looks like it’s coming true.

As revealed earlier today on social media, Marvel confirmed quite a few things about its forthcoming Fantastic Four movie, the first with the FF as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

First, it’s title, which is The Fantastic Four. Not to be confused with Fantastic Four or Fantastic 4.

Second, the cast, which features…

And most cruically, based on the logo art and the promo image we’ve got here below…

IT’S A SIXTIES PERIOD PIECE

Now, I don’t know if this means that part of the movie is in the 1960’s, the whole thing is, or if Marvel just really likes the retro aesthetic, but the style combined with those costumes feels very 1960’s.

Ever since The Incredibles came out, my mind’s eye has had a vision of a perfect Fantastic Four movie, set in the era the original comics were made. This may not live up to my brain’s hopes, but goddamnit, it’s a start.

The Fantastic Four hits theaters on July 25, 2025.

How did I sleep prior to the Calm app? This is like night and day.

The FTC is back for Microsoft. 1,900 people might get some sense of justice, I suppose.

I was a very big fan of Arcade Fire for a very long time – thought their most recent album was a return to form even! – but the allegations against Win Butler were absolutely atrocious in content. It’s fascinating to me that their move appears to be to…act like it didn’t happen and have anniversary shows anyway?

Had one of those evenings where I was just relaxing and using my iPad and recognizing how wild it is that I just have this pane of glass that gives me access to the world’s knowledge, every song ever recorded, most movies ever…

Enjoying the debut album from The Last Dinner Party this morning. Lands somewhere between chamberpop and almost, like…50’s rock? https://music.apple.com/us/album/prelude-to-ecstasy/1716063932

“Marty, how was your weekend?” “Well, my pro-wrestling inspired art competition show did a weekend of shows with a real pro-wrestling company. And we packed the venue for two nights straight.”

If the Chiefs win tonight, Baltimore local news will be non-stop Taylor Swift coverage.

Why is it that movies which are exclusive to streaming services automatically feel less-than versus those which had theater releases? I can only think of 3 that had staying power in my head…Glass Onion (Netflix), Prey (Hulu) and Palm Springs (Hulu).

And there goes the last ounce of any credibility that The Baltimore Sun still had. Woof.

It absolutely sucks that Twitch and Unity are making big cuts in a time where the game industry has been so volatile.

At the same time, if you’re looking to build out a great game engine or streaming platform…a lot of good people just got on the market. May everyone land well on their feet.

Rewatching 30 Rock has proved definitively that I married Liz Lemon.

I don’t mean to be alarmist, but every time I open Threads, the “For You” section is the most baiting, lowest common denominator takes.

It’s as if you’re incentivized for angering. I know others see worse, but that’s not a space I want to put my time and energy into.

Amateur fireworks displays: A way to tell your neighbors, “Yes, I’m an Asshole!”

2023 was a tough year. Dealt with some health issues, both mine, and for those in my family.

But there are some positives! I started going to therapy again, getting my mind right.

2024 is going to be about prioritizing my own health and care. It’s time.

Shout out to Sony’s Game Trials options for PS Plus subscribers. I just tried two very hyped games, and learned that they were Not For Me…without spending the cash!

Really dug Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor on the Doctor Who Christmas Special. My lone complaint? What the hell is with that Sonic Screwdriver?!

Doing our annual rewatch of Elf. Blonde Zooey Deschanel hits different.

Annnnnnnnd that’s a bunch of Substack newsletters (including some I pay for!) unsubscribed from.

Happy to say Flynn got the all clear from the neurologist, and he’s back home.

We’re not 100% out of the woods, and are going to be watching him closely…but the important part is that he is home.

A middle of the night trip to the Pet ER is never fun. Our little dude Flynn had a seizure. He’s stable, but we’re trying to figure out what’s what.

I’m just saying, Marvel. Find->Replace “Kang” with “Doom”.

Why do I love Blank Check with Griffin & David? 2 hours into a 3 hour episode about The Boy and the Heron, they’re deep diving into the Spawn movie. overcast.fm/+FnAi-DI-…

Noticed a lot of places near me promoting visits with the Grinch. Less so, visits with Santa. When did this shift happen?

I’m going to try to avoid saying the name of the movie, but it’s always fascinating when a fanbase so fervently awaits reviews, looks to champion the Rotten Tomatoes score, and when it’s low…immediately goes to “WELL IF THE CRITICS DON’T LIKE IT IT MUST BE GOOD.”

Got a wrong number voicemail from an apartment complex, a message from the leasing office. I called them back – not because I wanted to correct the number/call per se – so that they could make sure to call the right person at the right number. Couldn’t sit with myself if it was something really crucial regarding their housing.

This might be some serious nerd shit, but I absolutely agree with how life changing having access to a clipboard manager is.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to be in, on, and working, but for the most part, this week is the last week for office people “working”, right?

I know everyone hates “Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney, but does it sound like to anyone else that the song was one take, just Paul messing around with a keyboard and figuring out the song?

Sitting down for Godzilla Minus One. Very hyped for this based on the astounding word-of-mouth.

Still trying to parse if I enjoyed Napoleon last night. The scenes of battle are truly masterful in execution, but Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Napoleon is quite surreal at times. Maybe accurate to the real man? I don’t know enough about him or his life to say. I just know that it made for a jarring viewing experience.

Enjoyed the first episode of MONARCH, but oh boy was that CG masking of John Goodman’s face onto a running stuntman’s body nightmarish.

For years, I had a tradition of doing a snark filled live tweet of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Now that I am mostly on other social media sites, I think they’re not as “live post” focused. So I think that those are retired.

Maybe don’t get your daily Starbucks today. Support the people who support you.

Every time I look at Hideo Kojima’s Instagram, he’s eating awesome looking food, listening to rad music, or going to the movies. Be more like Kojima, everyone.

I suppose we knew it was coming eventually, but RIP Comixology.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL THE FULL THREE HOUR VERSION OF GRINDHOUSE IS ON VOD NOW

I did not have “Andre 3000 releases a surprise instrumental album and does his major promotion of it on NPR” on my bingo card for today.

Kyle Chayka - The New Yorker:

These experiences don’t seem as readily available now as they were a decade ago. In large part, this is because a handful of giant social networks have taken over the open space of the Internet, centralizing and homogenizing our experiences through their own opaque and shifting content-sorting systems. When those platforms decay, as Twitter has under Elon Musk, there is no other comparable platform in the ecosystem to replace them. A few alternative sites, including Bluesky and Discord, have sought to absorb disaffected Twitter users.

But like sproutlings on the rain-forest floor, blocked by the canopy, online spaces that offer fresh experiences lack much room to grow.

Once again, I find an article that I read and go, “I wish I had been the one to write this.” Chayka hits the nail on the head of something I’ve been feeling in my gut over this past year, but haven’t quite been able to square.

An absolutely worthwhile read.

www.youtube.com/watch

Paramount Pictures on YouTube:

Starring Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Sharon Brown Jr. (Mikey), Micah Abbey (Donnie), Brady Noon (Raph), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April), Ice Cube (Superfly), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Natasia Demetriou (Wing Nut), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman)!

I really love how much the success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has inspired American animation companies to experiment, visually.

Also, real actual teens as the turtles themselves is an inspired choice.

Flick looks to be a nice, late-Summer jam.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hits theaters on August 2, 2023.

Originally was planning to go see Guardians Vol. 3 or Fast X tonight.

Instead? Put 3 more hours into Zelda.

Finally got to dig into Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. A few hours in, it’s doing a great job of making me feel like a massive idiot, followed by a super genius…then back to idiot. GOTY.

Gonna go ahead and wade into The Discourse™ for a hot minute: The running time of a movie means absolutely fuck all and should not be something to be excited about or dreaded over. Only matters if you’re trying to schedule other things around it.

youtu.be/avz06PDqD…

Paramount Pictures on YouTube:

It’s crazy how, though the franchise has always been — at least — good, over the last few installments, I’ve absolutely become a drooling fanboy for the Mission: Impossible films.

Tom Cruise is a crazy, crazy man, but I’m so glad that Christopher McQuarrie pushes him to make these incredible action ballets.

Have a poster, too.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One runs into theaters on July 12, 2023.

Though I’ve not yet been able to start Tears of the Kingdom, seeing all of the videos of wild in-game creations across social media has absolutely given me life this weekend. Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

And that’s roll credits on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Just now caught up to Scream (2022) – had a lot of fun with it.

That said, I’d like Radio Silence to get back in the swing of more originals like Ready or Not, ASAP.

Noticed that people don’t seem to be talking up Yellowjackets as much this season. I’ve yet to start it – still worth it?

Looking forward to catching up with my dude Paul this Fall. www.youtube.com/watch

With the Summer Movie Season arriving this weekend, I am again reminded how much I miss things like music videos for songs from movies soundtracks, or massive fast-food promotions. They made each movie feel like an event.

Playing STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR on Story Mode difficulty for the power fantasy gang RISE UP

Pretty sure this week’s BOB’S BURGERS was Kaiju Big Battel inspired?

Got an obvious spam email for internet services for an upcoming con SAF is a part of. How did I know it was spam? For some reason, it was addressed to “John Fake”.

It’s Disney vs. Florida: WHOEVER WINS – WE LOSE.

Sometimes, folks, it’s a strategic meal of Five Guys that you need to sand down all the rough edges of life.

LEGO.com:

The four-piece postcard sized set is vibrant and showcases an overarching story of a space shuttle, moon base, black hole, lunar eclipse, different star constellations and more. Additionally, it offers lots of flexibility in how it can be arranged, as each picture is physically independent of the others.

This rules SO HARD!

Hits May 5th for LEGO VIP Members, May 8th for the general public. $50. Nab it here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuk77TjvfmE

Marvel Entertainment on YouTube:

Monica Rambeau returns in Marvel Studios' #TheMarvels, only in theaters November 10.

Looks like an aggressively fun time. Marvel could use a nice win with this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSXqU92cymY

Star Wars on YouTube:

Streaming May 4 on Disney+.

Star Wars: Visions is one of my favorite things of the Disney era of Star Wars, and once again, this looks SO COOL.

Different studios, different animation styles, different feels, but all undeniably Star Wars. Can’t wait!

StarWars.com:

James Mangold’s movie will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni’s will focus on the New Republic, and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film will be set after the events of Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.

Honestly, I dig all 3 ideas.

You get a big bit of closure to the Mandalorian/Book of Boba Fett/Ahsoka series, dig into completely uncharted territory with Mangold’s film (who must’ve really impressed with Indy 5), and some decent closure to the frought Sequel Trilogy era with a new movie around Rey.

Let’s hope they actually get made!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQfMbSe7F2g

Lucasfilm on YouTube:

Harrison Ford returns as the legendary hero archaeologist in the highly anticipated fifth installment of the iconic “Indiana Jones" franchise, which is directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,“ “Logan"). Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag"), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory"), John Rhys-Davies (“Raiders of the Lost Ark"), Shaunette Renee Wilson (“Black Panther"), Thomas Kretschmann (“Das Boot"), Toby Jones (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan"), Oliver Richters (“Black Widow"), Ethann Isidore (“Mortel") and Mads Mikkelsen (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore"). Directed by James Mangold, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981, is once again composing the score.

I can’t say I expected a John Williams and Rolling Stones mashup today.

This looks like a really fun adventure. The de-aging tech is WILD. Let us continue to hope it’s good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzNZ0Mdx4I

Star Wars on YouTube:

Straight from the opening showcase at Star Wars Celebration in London this weekend, here’s our first look at the next Star Wars TV series — Ahsoka, which looks like another action filled romp.

4 months to go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shW9i6k8cB0

Sony Pictures Entertainment on YouTube:

I am absolutely gobsmacked by this trailer.

This movie is going to be something really special, I am more and more sure of it with every piece of footage I see.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Michael Cera will voice star as Scott Pilgrim and Mary Elizabeth Winstead will reprise her role as Ramona Flowers. Other returning castmembers include Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber, Mae Whitman And Ellen Wong.

HOLY SHIT.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was one of the projects most passionately followed on this here blog, and knowing that they got the ENTIRE CAST back for the animated adaptation, that Edgar Wright is producing, and freaking ANAMANAGUCHI — who did the video game soundtrack — is doing the score.

Absolutely unreal. I cannot wait.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6qna-ZCbxA

Nintendo on YouTube:

The Nintendo dev team are wizards doing unreal things with the worlds of in game physics and interactivity.

Is there pop up? Does it look a little slow at times? Sure.

But what they’re producing beyond that? Unreal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzcyx9V0xw

Pixar on YouTube:

I have to say, this appears to be an absolute visual feast, but overall, this kinda just feels like Zootopia but if elements instead of animals.

Maybe there’s a missing piece here that the trailers aren’t showing?

Elemental hits theaters on June 16, 2023.

I feel like Cocaine Bear could’ve gone harder in either direction of comedy or horror, but it’s a movie that knows exactly what it is, without being too winky or cloying. Had a fun time. Alden Ehrenreich redeemed.

Anyone else having issues downloading apps from the Mac App Store this morning? Or just me?

Genuinely exciting news for the future of the Open Web: Automattic has acquired the plug-in “ActivityPub for WordPress” and hired its developer as well.

For those who don’t know what this means, it means we’re closer to WordPress blogs being something you can follow on ActivityPub using sites – like Mastodon, Micro.blog, and even Tumblr (soon).

So cool to see Everything Everywhere All At Once practically sweep the Oscars last night. That said, if you haven’t, I highly recommend watching Daniels' first film, the surreal and incredible Swiss Army Man. It’s up now on HBO Max.

The Hollywood Reporter:

The streamer and retail giant has handed out a two-season order for the animated series that was scrapped at HBO Max last August. Caped Crusader landed at the Jennifer Salke-led streamer after producer Warner Bros. Animation shopped the project following the cost-cutting move that saw parent company Warner Bros. Discovery scrap the show more than a year and a half after ordering it straight to series. Other streamers, including Netflix, Apple and Hulu, also kicked the tires on the project that marks a reunion for executive producers J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, who previously collaborated on The WB Network’s beloved Felicity.

More Timm Batman, and more WB animation, cannot be a bad thing, right?

Deadline:

Details are sketchy because some of the conversations are still in exploratory stages but we hear that an anime series connected to the Rocky spinoff IP is in the works, and there are ideas for a companion live-action TV series. Also percolating is a potential project centering around Adonis Creed’s daughter, Amara, who was played by deaf actress Mila Davis-Kent in Creed III, making her film acting debut.

A few quick thoughts on this one.

I mean, this is the same day where Bob Iger’s literally saying “hey, maybe less Marvel sequels“…so what makes this teflon?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBMajXwi6Cs

Apple TV+ / YouTube:

Getting serious Snowpiercer vibes off of this. Hell of a cast, though. Apple TV+ keeps bringing out bangers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZdaF2zMlM

Paramount Pictures / YouTube:

Watch the new teaser trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: #MutantMayhem - Only in theatres August 4, 2023.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

This looks like a blast!

It’s Superbad meets Into the Spider-Verse. I’m very into it!

At that phase in having sinus issues where I just want to eat a giant plate of Buffalo Wings to get things moving.

So many of me and my friend’s interests are colliding on this one: Daniels (directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once) have put together a photoshoot of Jennifer Coolidge for W Magazine…that is a giant Tokusatsu homage.

Digging through an archive of my Last.fm account, I dug up a great song/band I’ve not listened to in ages. Here’s a Casket Lottery side project, Jackie Carol, with their song “No Fiction”.

io9:

io9 can exclusively confirm that Battle Chasers #10 will complete its long, long road to publication this June, setting off a new story arc for the fantasy series. Having hopped from Wildstorm in the late 90s, Image—which, three years ago, published an anthology of the first nine issues of the series that has gone to multiple reprints—will release the series, with Ludo Lullabi joining the book on art.

Talk about an unreal, completely unexpected announcement from the world of comics.

I adored Battle Chasers, as an anime-obsessed teen who loved Joe Mad’s run on Uncanny X-Men. The idea that the comic is picking back up 22 years later is something I never thought to occur, especially since the RPG video game seemed to be the proper destination for the tale.

I’ve no idea if this will be good, but at the least, I’m intrigued!

A history of the Pizza Hut/X-Men promotion?! THIS is why I pay for SKTCHD!

This headline reads as if Square is looking to make a Final Fantasy game designed specifically for me, Marty Day.

I have to say, using a smartphone or a computer with your eyes dilated is a hell of a ride.

But on the good side of things: eyes are healthy, and my prescription just has to eek up a smidge. New glasses in two weeks.

Whatever allows movie theaters to stay in business, I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR9yjn7Lkdg

Apple TV / YouTube:

Thanks Apple UK YouTube for having this a smidge early.

What can I say? We’re at the Return of the Jedi season.

New season starts March 15th. Can’t wait!

Can’t help but notice the MLS ref is wearing an Apple Watch Ultra. Clever.

Let me tell you – it’s a lot easier to progress in Metal Slug when you can give yourself infinite credits.

Why yes, the new Gorillaz album was my first pick on this #newmusicfriday.

Deadline:

Ever since I started reading Something Is Killing The Children, I just knew it was ripe for a TV or movie adaptation.

Add the Dark duo working on it, and you have something very promising.

If nothing else, expect to see a ton of monster bandanas sold at your local Hot Topic / Box Lunch.

EW.com:

Now, EW can exclusively reveal that Hickman and Hitch are teaming up for a new comic series, Ultimate Invasion, which will feature elements from the Ultimate Marvel universe. The Maker (an alternate version of Reed Richards) and Miles Morales (perhaps Ultimate Marvel’s most important original character, though he wasn’t created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli until 2011) are both set to play major roles in the story.

I can’t say I had “Marvel Brings Back The Ultimate Universe", on my bingo card, even what might be a one-off event?

Though, this line sounds ominous…

A fun conversation starter from the Club MacStories Discord…how many apps are on your phone? I currently have 172.

When you have to get your wife to the airport at 5am, that’s the best time to not be able to sleep.

Pretty hyped about there being a new Bone anthology, even if it doesn’t hit until September.

Oh boy, I’m going to be making serious use out of my AMC A-List subscription these next few weeks!

• This weekend: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
• Feb 24: Cocaine Bear
• March 3: Creed III
• March 10: Scream VI, 65
• March 17: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
• March 24: John Wick: Chapter 4
• March 31: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
• April 7: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
• April 14: Renfield
• April 21: Evil Dead Rise, Beau is Afraid
• May 5: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

…and so on, and so on…

Bottleneck Gallery:

Iron Man kicked off the MCU juggernaut in a very real way and helped create a foundation for Marvel’s future films. Nicolas’ print for Iron Man features the characters and lore from the movie all in one awesome print (just check out that classic superhero pose!). Oh, and we had to include lenticular and aluminum editions of the print because it’s Iron Man!

Really awesome stuff, especially with Bottleneck’s trademark lenticular variants.

They go on sale tomorrow at Noon Eastern, if you’re so inclined, $55-$175.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m14CQFtNi8

YouTube:

There’s more plot revealed in the above synopsis than in the teaser itself, but it’s interesting that this will be Apple TV’s first show not dropping new episodes on Fridays.

Time to Believe again, y’all.

HIGH FIVE TREE

Ted Lasso returns for Season 3 on March 15th, 2023 on Apple TV+.

Do I know anyone with a New York Times subscription, and if so: do you still get ads in-app?

I’m sure this is such a “no duh” moment for many, but: blasting music you know and love really makes the workday zoom.

Hell of a game.

As a new fan of the Premier League, I have to say: their on-screen graphics + typography are out of this world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32RAq6JzY-w

YouTube:

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.

Jason Momoa! Brie Larson! Rita GODDAMNED Moreno! A nearly four minute goddamned trailer!

THE FAMBILY IS BACK

Fast X hits theaters on May 19, 2023.

Variety:

The untitled series will follow an older, grizzled superhero in 1930s New York City. An individual with knowledge of the project says that the show will be set in its own universe and the main character will not be Peter Parker.

The saddest part? I’m 99% sure that this will not feature Nic Cage.

Lord & Miller producing, however, makes me hopeful that this version of Spider-Man Noir will retain the same hammy dialogue as the Into the Spider-Verse version.

The Hollywood Reporter:

I’m actually genuinely happy to see this!

Before it went off air, I was a big fan of @Midnight, given how close it was to a British panel show versus a proper game show or  late night talk show, and would frequently join its daily Hashtag Wars.

That said, I have two thoughts off the bat:

Either way, I am very intrigued to see how this plays out…

…even if I’m an old man who will watch the episodes the next day on Paramount+, versus “live" on CBS.

Highsnobiety:

But then there’s the really wild stuff that pushes the boundaries of MSCHF Sneakers' entire oeuvre — if not the entirely definition of the word “sneakers — MSCHF’s big, red Astro Boy-indebted boots are the latest and greatest example.

Grab your own pair on MSCHF’s site on February 16th at 11am, for a brisk $350.

LEGO.com:

This set is absolutely unreal.

Over 6000 pieces, all the mini figures you could want, and a $500 price tag, this is for the hardcores, but goddamn the execution of it all! The set will be available from March 8th, 2023.

I highly recommend checking out the source link for all the photos. Wow.

Oh boy! New Nintendo Direct tomorrow!

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m gonna just keep calling this Brad.

Deadline:

The late 90’s revival is here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jok7jfOUUxI

YouTube:

Finally, a sequel to the seminal Mel Brooks film, HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, with each episode featuring a variety of sketches that take us through different periods of human history.

I’m still pretty skeptical on this being successful and not a Spaceballs: The Animated Series level failure, but at the same time…

Mel? Get paid, buddy.

DC:

Yes, we can finally reveal that Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent not only continues Jon’s story that Taylor began in Superman: Son of Kal-El, but also builds on the legacy of storytelling he crafted for the popular DC video game franchise, which hasn’t been seen in a DC comic book since the Injustice 2 series concluded in 2018. But how exactly will Jon find himself in Injustice’s harrowing world, in which Batman finds himself fighting for survival against a tyrant Superman? We were as curious as you, so we sat down with Taylor for an exclusive interview about the upcoming series and its newly revealed twist.

I have to say, Taylor’s run on Injustice was SHOCKINGLY good for a video game tie-in comic, and I’ve enjoyed his run with the Jon Kent Superman*, so odds are this could be a decent read.

But really, I just want to know what the heck the NetherRealm team is working on post Mortal Kombat 11, and this just ads to the frothing need for an update!

 

*it’s not as good as his run on Nightwing, which is some all-timer level stuff.

Variety:

The country’s largest exhibition chain is rolling out Sightline at AMC, a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium. Moviegoers will have the option to pay more or less for admission depending on where they choose to sit in the theater. In effect, front row seats will be available at a lower price, while seats in the middle of the theater will be available at a higher price.

The initiative kicks off on Friday at select AMC locations in New York, Chicago and Kansas City and will be expanded to all domestic AMC locations by the end of the year.

I say this as a proud AMC A-List member…

…this is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of.

I recognize theaters, arenas, etc. all do this as is, but you’re ruining one of the few advantages which the movie theater has over those outlets.

Boo to this, complete.y

Bottleneck Gallery:

Raid’s print pays homage to one of the greatest creative minds of all time, Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have been creating magical animated films for decades, and Raid has a deep history with the films.

$50 for the standard print (above), $60 for the variant (viewable at the above link), $110 for both, hits tomorrow at Noon Eastern.

What a cool print!

Really enjoying Shrinking on Apple TV+. Gives me Scrubs x Ted Lasso vibes, which makes sense, as they’re all Bill Lawrence shows.

Also? Killer needle drops.

Art of the Title:

The main-on-end title sequence of the show, created by studio Aspect with illustrations by Toronto-based artist Kagan McLeod, takes the form of vibrant courtroom sketches that seem to paint themselves. The scenes aren’t moments from the show but rather a bonus, scenes that happen outside of the scripted episodes. The vivid drawings show Jen/She-Hulk and her cousin the Hulk, as played by guest star Mark Ruffalo, shopping for spandex and cheese puffs in bulk, discussing the relationship history of certain Avengers, and generally going about their larger-than-lives. As the Aspect team and McLeod discuss below, arriving at this illustration style and creating unique drawings for each episode’s ending proved to be no mean feat.

Art of the Title is a great website, and this is an awesome break down of the very cool credits customized for each episode of the recent Disney+ series.

Of note: the artist who did the illustrations, Kagen McLeod, who is interviewed here, did one of my favorite indie books of some time, Infinite Kung-Fu.

Marvel.com:

One of the things done with the latest run of X-Men which I’ve really enjoyed is the implementation of a fan vote of a member for the team.

Part of the annual Hellfire Gala in universe, the last X-Men vote resulted in Firestar joining the (frankly, excellent) Gerry Duggan run of X-Men, and your pick will be reflected in the next lineup.

The available options this year are Cannonball, Dazzler, Frenzy, Jubilee, Juggernaut, and Prodigy, and per an update yesterday,  Cannonball and Juggernaut (my pick) are neck and neck for the final pick.

If that wasn’t enough, awesome comics website AIPT decided to ask the current crop of X-Writers to give their picks, so vote early, vote often, and let’s see who ends up becoming a part of the next X-Team!

Information is Beautiful:

Well, it depends how you look at it. We took a data-dive to find out.

Very cool, interactive presentation of an ongoing debate between movie fans.

While the first graph focuses on just the box office success, we get some surprises when the data is changed to look at values based on inflation, based on return on budget, and what happens when you move the budgets to an even playing field.

In short — we’ve been ignoring The Exorcist for far too long.

I think I’ve officially decided: my mid-life crisis will be getting into MLS (maybe Premier League too?) and POSSIBLY F1. Thanks for your time.

Wake up, Film Twitter! Uniqlo is dropping a Sofia Coppola collection. Really.

Tonight’s goof: The logistics of depositing a giant novelty check.

Baltimore’s own PLRLS have an awesome new album, Curses, out today. It’s been brightening my morning. RIYL: B-52s, Talking Heads, Other 80’s Post-Punk.

Shout out to the person in the doctor’s office waiting area who pulled down their mask to sneeze. 🙄

🎶 BEEEEE KAYYYYYY HAVE IT YOUR WAYYY 🎶

I don’t need another video game system and my TV doesn’t have the extra HDMI port for it anyway, but I’ll be damned if there aren’t days I look with jealous eyes at the Xbox and the GamePass.

Hey, brands who pulled your ads from Twitter? Just an FYI that Facebook is gonna give the guy who incited violence on the capital his account back. Do with that what you will.

So, you’re telling me that Tom Taylor, who is killing it on Nightwing is going to be writing the new Titans book? Yeah, I’m down for that.

Oh boy! Goldeneye 007 comes to Switch on FRIDAY!

It strikes me that remote starters probably took a major hit in sales once more of us started working from home.

My favorite Mastodon app, Ivory, is officially out in the App Store. It’s by the amazing team at Tapbots, who brought us Tweetbot (RIP). If you loved Tweetbot, it’s like having an old friend back.

A well-deserved ELEVEN Oscar nominations for Everything Everywhere All At Once this morning.

I didn’t have “One-half of Daft Punk returns with a solo orchestral album” on my bingo card, that’s for sure.

I’ve been quietly focusing on my health for a bit. I’m seeing results. I am happy.

Tickets for the 200th Super Art Fight show, which is also our 15th Anniversary Show(!) are on-sale NOW!

I hate being a broken record, but what does it say about a platform you’ve created when you need to remind people to use it less?

Dope! My favorite food tracking app just gets better.

Vulture has profiled, in my humble opinion, the best part of current SNL – the surreal and insane humor of Sarah Sherman.

Surprise! New Apple products have been announced featuring upgrades to the M2 chip, including a new MacBook Pro and Mac Mini.

This lengthy piece on The Verge discussing the state of Twitter since Musk’s takeover is:

• An incredible piece of reporting
• Pretty damned depressing

With that, still a must read. Kudos to The Verge, New York Magazine and the Platformer team.

Headline of the Year nominee, just 16 days in: “Scientists steer lightning bolts with lasers for the first time”.

Fighting the urge to buy an Apple Studio Display / sell my current display, display arm, speakers, webcam and USB-C dock on eBay.

I can’t help but feel like selling the display would be a pain in the ass online.

This is definitely not going to be the last AI art related lawsuit. Keep an eye on how this goes, friends.

Time to play: Do you know who directed this new McDonald’s ad for the UK?

I have to be honest, removing Tweetbot from my personal laptop’s dock today kinda bummed me out.

New blast-o-rama. newsletter written and ready to go for tomorrow AM. Not on the list? Join here.

Running back one of my favorite albums of last year – big and loud in my good headphones – And So I Watch You From Afar’s Jettison.

I blame AGDQ, but I finally have started FFVII Remake as of today.

Michael Ausiello, TVLine:

ABC on Wednesday announced that it has picked up Jeopardy! Masters, a Ken Jennings-hosted primetime spinoff that will find the six highest-ranked, current Jeopardy! contestants facing off in a Champions League style event.

The six MVPs vying for the title of Jeopardy! Masters Champion will be Matt Amodio, Sam Buttrey, Andrew He, James Holzhauer, Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider.

Where my fellow Jeopardy! heads at?

This should be a great competition. I don’t think I’ve spoken of it, but I’ve been pushing for the past few years to try out for Jeopardy!, and while I haven’t gotten the call yet, my audition tests seem to get better each year.

The 6 contestants chosen are an incredible crop — I just wish we could’ve seen other Jeopardy! notables get a play-in round, like Brad Rutter, Buzzy Cohen, Austin  Rogers, Julia Collins and so on.

Steven Soderbergh released his 2022 watch list, in case you wanna compare your movie + TV habits to a Hollywood director.

Interesting: a bunch of the movies I read about in Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation are on sale on iTunes this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuiWDn976Ek

YouTube:

RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2023

DIRECTOR: Ari Aster

CAST: Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zoe Lister-Jones, Armen Nahapetian, with Parker Posey and Patti LuPone

I have to say, the direction after Hereditary and Midsommar for Ari Aster I expected was not…“Weirdly uplifting, surreal adventure movie".

Zag on em, Ari.

Beau is Afraid hits theaters on April 21st, 2023.

I will say this: watching AGDQ has made me want to live like it’s 1999 and download a ton of tracks from OCRemix.

Variety:

Now, look, I will personally admit to being part of the problem here as I had yet to watch the two parts of Inside Job released so far, despite being a big fan of Gravity Falls.

And I’ll be the first to admit that the era of “peak television" has resulted in there being more shows on the market than even professional critics can keep up with.

But between cancellations like this, after a renewal was approved, cancellation of shows mid-airing/mid-production, and well, whatever HBO Max is doing, this is a dark time to be a creative, full stop. And I don’t know the solution.

Except…maybe not chasing the funnel of money loss that is an exclusive, streaming-only, revenue system?

David Ehrlich’s annual “Best Films of…” Video is up for 2022. Enjoy!

The latest edition of my blast-o-rama. email newsletter is out now. Check it out!

Always a good design situation when you have to design reminders for your user-base to, uh, sleep.

Letterboxd’s 2022 Year-in-Review is up. Always a fun read.

“Spontaneously shattering camera glass” sounds bad, Google.

Hmm, is my living room configured properly for me to do Kickboxing workouts?

Is anyone really excited about PlayStation VR 2? Or is it, like most VR products, a niche device set to be appreciated by a subset of hardcore fans?

Today I learned there is an episode of late-era The Simpsons which is a full Inception redux. And it’s not even a Treehouse of Horror segment.

I can’t say that I expected Them! to be on the remake block, let alone being the proper feature directorial debut of Michael Giacchino, but given how good Werewolf By Night was, screw it, I’m in.

Congrats to the QA team at ZeniMax Studios. Now, may the rest of the industry follow your lead.

The Menu – one of my favorite movies of 2022 – is now available for streaming on HBO Max / purchase on PVOD. Recommended!

The Smile is the latest band to play an NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Enjoy!

Tip of the hat to Kottke for a look at the awesome “Art of the Skateboard” stamps coming out later this year.

Very cool music news: De La Soul’s catalog will finally be available on streaming this March. Gonna have to blast “Me, Myself and I” to celebrate.

This is absolutely wild – Apple has a patent in the works for an Apple Pencil that samples colors FROM REAL WORLD OBJECTS.

Digging in with one of my favorite annual podcast traditions: Bullseye’s annual stand-up round-up. Enjoy!

2023: Let’s do this.

Tenet is a messy movie, with lots of problems, but I’ll be dammed if the prologue isn’t incredibly captivating.

For the record, I’m a massive fan of the current trend of BlancPosting, and I hope it continues for some time.

Well, if THIS is really it for Twitter… 🫡

Whoa, a Hokusai LEGO set!

Kate Beaton’s DUCKS is as lovely a book as you’d expect. A true masterwork.

Finally started reading ONCE & FUTURE. What a yarn of a comic! Just in time for the final trade dropping on Wednesday.

CRIMBO

I feel comfortable posting this now. My favorite movies of 2022.

Looks like DotEmu added a bunch of tweaks to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, including custom game modes. A reminder: it’s easily one of the best games of the year for anyone who grew up loving the old Konami arcade game.

A stark reminder that for as awful as Meta is, TikTok MIGHT be worse.

Bless, the winners of the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are here.

If you’ve ever wondered why we’re in a society filled with the super-rich, The Pudding has a killer explainer on the topic.

Sounds like the whole ad-supported Netflix thing isn’t working out great.

For the record, I’m a privileged snob who pays for the ad-free version of every streaming service I can.

I’ve gotta be honest, with every new update video – like today’s upgrade build – Retro Game Corps sure has made me interested in buying + customizing a Miyoo Mini!

And given their price, maybe a few for friends…if they’d just remain in stock.

Great news: Kickstarter is also on the side of non-AI generated art.

Variety:

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson issued a ruling in a case involving “Yesterday,“ the 2019 film about a world without the Beatles.

Two Ana de Armas fans filed a lawsuit in January, alleging that they had rented the movie after seeing de Armas in the trailer, only to discover that she was cut out of the final film.

Universal sought to throw out the lawsuit, arguing that movie trailers are entitled to broad protection under the First Amendment. The studio’s lawyers argued that a trailer is an “artistic, expressive work" that tells a three-minute story conveying the theme of the movie, and should thus be considered “non-commercial" speech.

But Wilson rejected that argument, finding that a trailer is commercial speech and is subject to the California False Advertising Law and the state’s Unfair Competition Law.

Legit, this could truly change how movie trailers are produced.

Happy Holidays, Marketing Teams!

Drew Magary, Defector:

An annual tradition which makes my Defector support worth it every year.

Jenn Pelly, Pitchfork:

To be a fan of modern music is to see entangled crises of mental health and economic sustainability that are increasingly conspicuous, and, if not new, then no longer possible to ignore. Since 2019, an uptick of non-profit and research-based initiatives have emerged to address the mental health dimension of this sobering reality and to offer more immediate support to musicians and touring crew members. But the dozens of artists and experts interviewed for this story believe that systemic change to both the music industry and to society, including universal healthcare, is what’s needed most.

An absolutely necessary read for any fan of music.

I fear that this same concern is coming for artists of all levels, between AI art, the consolidation of entertainment studios, and cost cutting all the way down.

Support the things you love, folks. Support the things you love.

It turns out that John Cleese in 2022 is useful in at least one way.

I don’t know about you, fellow comic nerds, but ‘Stark Sentinels’ sounds cool as hell to me.

I think $200 is a ridiculous price for a video game controller. But the DualSense Edge sounds like it’s worth it, if you’re that kinda gamer.

Alright folks, you asked for it, you’ll get it. I will gladly become the CEO of Twitter.

Once I’ve negotiated my massive golden parachute, which I will need upon my rapid ouster.

…maybe I shouldn’t have said the second half of that sentence…

A fine reminder to my friends with projects, stores, etc – if you don’t have a mailing list, you’re shortchanging yourself. Like your own website, you own it, BUT! The updates go to your followers, versus then having to hit your site/socials/store.

Caught the end of the World Cup Final. That was amazing.

New blast-o-rama. email locked-and-loaded for 9am Eastern tomorrow. Want to get on the mailing list? Head to buttondown.email/blast0ram… and sign up!

Can’t sleep, so I find myself already going down rabbit holes on Mastodon. Maybe it sticks this time?

Whoever had the Monkey’s Paw and said, “Donald Glover Spider-Man Movie”, I blame you here.

Welp, lock me in for the Barbie half of the Barbie / Oppenheimer double feature.

Christmas came early: We got a new jam from The Protomen today.

Oh cool, Twitter banned Mastodon. Which reminds me, if you need a Mastodon invite, ping me, mutuals!

And this is why I’m not entirely regretting taking the next two weeks off.

The problem with these lists and these rankings and these favorites is that they circumvent discovery—instead, they dictate. The reason people get excited by word-of-mouth recommendations—rarer and rarer these days—is because they come with a pulse. A list doesn’t. A list is assigned by an organization. A list is anemic. A list removes the desire that you started with. A list is fake in the way that finding something out for yourself is not. Imagine if we treated art with the same richness as we treat sports, with the same nuance with which we consider players (Moneyball notwithstanding). But there is no goal in art; it is impossible to quantify until an artist transcends the work and becomes a commodity. That is when a Van Gogh becomes currency. Or a Banksy is stolen off a wall like wad of cash. In a 2007 talk on the “aestheticized equity” of art, Professor Donald Kuspit described the evaluation of art as a rigged game: “Paying a certain amount of money for a work of art can be compared to placing a bet on a number in roulette. It is in fact less of a gamble, for the more money one places on the art number the more one guarantees that it will win the art game. Big money guarantees big art historical returns—good art historical fortune as well as a very good economic future. It is a way of controlling the game. It is a way of fixing the spin of fortune’s wheel so that it is always in one’s favor.”

Loved this bit from Soraya Roberts' piece about the latest Sight & Sound Greatest Films of all Time list, over at Defector.

“Oh boy! I got paid today!” [pays monthly bills, moves money into savings] Well, that was short-lived.

Your latest twist in the DC Studios revamp – James Gunn is writing a new Superman movie which reboots the character, and will NOT star Henry Cavill.

I guess I should get ready for a The Fabelmans sequel sometime down the line then, yeah?

The Seth Meyers / Lizzo daydrinking video is goddamned delightful.

The Hollywood Reporter:

The streamer has greenlit a series based on the award-winning PlayStation game God of War. The Wheel of Time’s Rafe Judkins will serve as showrunner on the adaptation, and Oscar nominees Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man, The Expanse) are writing and executive producing with Judkins.

Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios are producing God of War in association with PlayStation Productions.

ahem

BOY

Now that I’ve said that, I think the idea of a God of War series is quite the layup. The recent PS4/PS5 installments have felt like episodic TV series as it is, so I can see the translation being a straight-forward one. We wish em the best of luck.

Got tickets for Death Cab + Postal Service in September – lawn seats, but still stoked.

Like any good millennial, I’ve got my presale code for the Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service tour ready to rock at 10am.

www.youtube.com/watch

Just kidding, it’s not aliens! It’s DINOSAURS!

Getting serious Returnal vibes from this.

www.youtube.com/watch

I see we’re going full Jason Takes Manhattan now.

Note to self: Watch Scream (2022) already.

Interesting twist in the Patty Jenkins/DC Studios story – she just took to Twitter to refute all of it, and affirm that she’s back working on her Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron.

Before I finalize my “Best of the Year” list, I need to watch…

• Tár
• The Woman King
• The Fablemans
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Decision to Leave
• Babylon
• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
• Avatar: The Way of Water

What haven’t you seen which you want to check out before the year is over?

Oh boy. A bill has been introduced to…ban TikTok in the US. What on Earth will people re-post to Instagram for engagement now?

Speaking of Apple, in case your devices haven’t told you yet, updates are out for iOS/iPadOS/macOS/tvOS/HomePod/AppleWatch/etc. including the new Freeform app!

Kinda wild. Rumors are that due to the EU regulations coming, Apple is looking into an official way to allow third-party app stores on iOS devices.

Of COURSE Vince McMahon is back in the news for continuing to be a horrible person and TRYING TO RETURN TO WWE.

www.youtube.com/watch

After what has felt like ages since the original teaser dropped, Sony has finally taken the veil off of the second installment of the Miles Morales Spider-Verse Saga!

The trailer itself builds off of some key moments from — and the score of — the first film, but remains a visual stunner, and has some key frames I’ll definitely be freezing to understand, including a spiral of alternate Spider-Man, and a first look at this version of Spider-Woman.

The first film was one of my favorite theatrical experiences when it released back in  December 2018, so suffice to say, I’m chomping at the bit for the release of this movie. Between gorgeous animation, a stellar voice cast, and it honoring the legacy of my favorite fictional character of all-time, I’m firmly in the audience for this film…even as a 38-year-old man. 😬

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2, 2023, followed by Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse on March 29, 2024.

I’m sure that this is a great sign for the Crypto market.

This Reebok x Street Fighter collab is pretty damn rad.

Spider-Man 2 has been made real. The sacrifice of Dr. Otto Octavious will never be forgotten.

Jordan Raup, The Film Stage:

The project, titled Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (which translates to How Do You Live?), has been set for a July 14, 2023 release in Japan, which hopefully means a U.S. release is in store before the end of 2023. The film is inspired by Genzaburo Yoshino’s novel of the same name, which follows a 15-year-old boy named Koperu and his uncle, who move to a new neighborhood, as the kid deals with bullying, poverty, education, work, courage, and progress.

A copy of the teaser poster is above.

I’m always excited for a new Miyazaki film, even though at age 81, the odds of us seeing another is getting lower and lower.

I hope this makes it to the states before the end of the year!

Big day on VOD. Both The Fablemans and The Banshees of Inisherin dropped. Excited to see where they land on my Best Of… list for the year.

A very happy birthday to my amazing wife and partner in life, Sam!

Well, I did it. I uninstalled Tweetbot from my phone. Now, pretty much anything you see from me on Twitter, unless I break my streak, will be filtered as coming from my microblog (marty.day) which gets automatically re-posted to Twitter/Mastodon. End of an era.

Rewatching Nope. Just as good the second time at home as it was in theaters.

Hey! The latest edition of my newsletter is locked and loaded for tomorrow morning. Want it in your inbox? Sign up here.

I’m gonna go ahead and take back the good things I said about Diablo IV yesterday.

OH MY GOD THE POSTAL SERVICE AND DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE ARE TOURING TOGETHER I KNOW THE SINGER IS THE SAME FOR BOTH

As a strong advocate for personal data privacy, all I have to say to the latest Apple iCloud encryption changes is: Bravo.

Do A Powerbomb! #7 ends the series perfectly, both completely absurd yet acting as a nice bow on the storytelling. Can’t recommend the trade enough when it drops in March.

Gosh, I really am gonna get suckered in for Diablo 4, aren’t I?

The creator of Stardew Valley made a music video for a track off of the latest Alvvays album. Chocolate, meet Peanut Butter.

In addition to being a great weather app, Carrot is now a dating sim.

Wanna do Karaoke at home? Great news. Apple Music will let you.

Really enjoyed this interview with the writers of The Menu, which, warning – DOES contain spoilers.

Pixelmator continues to be the best value in image editing in the biz…as now you can even edit video.

I am Marty Day. I am 38 years old. And I’d like to own a tricycle.

GET READY FOR YOUR 2023 MOVIE OF THE YEAR: COCAINE BEAR.

OK, OK, I’ll add Marvel’s Midnight Suns to my wishlist.

At least two times now I’ve been in the theater with an audience who has not seen – nor knows about – the trailer for M3gan, and it’s a wonderful delight seeing people react to it.

Finally, Apple Music gets a bit closer to their annual Replay feature being half as good as Spotify’s Unwrapped.

Once again, the team at Tools and Toys has pulled together a great annual holiday wishlist. Maybe you’ll be adding some things from it to your personal list this year, as I do every year.

I don’t often invoke the man’s name, unlike many Apple fans, but I feel like Steve Jobs would absolutely force the team to revert back to the page flip animation in Apple Books on iOS 16.

Absolutely fascinating profile of James Cameron by GQ ahead of Avatar: The Way of Water. I enjoy the casual admission that the movie needs to be the 3rd or 4th biggest OF ALL TIME to be profitable.

Looking over the plans for their “Dawn of DC” event, there are a bunch of books from DC I’m actually excited to read? Wild stuff.

I don’t need or want an Escape From New York remake. That said, the directing trio of Radio Silence kinda rules…

Yes, it’s Pixar anthropomorphizing another thing, but I’ll be damned if the teaser trailer for Elemental isn’t a visual stunner.

Having been at my local Starbucks this morning for “Red Cup Day” without realizing what was occurring, I 1000% sympathize for the workers. It was absolute pandemonium for some cheap, plastic cups. I would’ve skipped today had I known.

Whatever Lionsgate does, please let them get Yuzo Koshiro for the Streets of Rage movie score.

Continuing to use Twitter via a 3rd party app is interesting. Since your timeline is reverse chronological and you get no ads, you’re sort of shielded from the garbage fire of the rest of the site, now more than ever. As always, once Tweetbot’s gone, I’m gone.

Today, Conan O’Brien launched a station on SiriusXM. The sketch posted on his YouTube page today of him getting a jingle for the station is on par with some of his better remotes from the late night show.

Hearing that Damien Chazelle’s Babylon is divisive, honestly, excites me more. Gotta go for big swings, even if people don’t like ‘em.

God of War: Ragnarok is very good so far (5 hrs. in). Though I definitely agree with a podcast I listened to this weekend, where they recommend breaking up the story quests with side quests, as the story quests are dense with walk-and-talk segments.

New John Wick looks good, even though I feel like the series is getting SLIGHTLY long in the tooth.

The only way this AMC/Zoom team-up is OK by me is if your company then shows you a movie. But even then…pretty dystopian.

OK, pre-ordered God of War: Ragnarok, got tickets for Glass Onion…now I just need to figure out when I’m going to see Wakanda Forever and my big-time November entertainment is set.

In case you weren’t already sold on it, here’s ONE MORE trailer for the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion.

Great interview with the Marvel Snap team who, well, really should be proud of the incredibly addicting game they’ve created, along with the not-gross way they’ve monetized it.

A reminder: No matter what anyone tells you, it’s not actually the holiday season until this ad starts playing.

Watch later

Add to queue

Add to queue">Wario.

Tonight, 11 year old me would be very proud. Well, he’d probably also have questions like: “where’s our hair?” and “why are we fat?” and “why is our beard so grey?”, but he’d be proud, as tonight, I’m seeing Weird Al live. Let’s freakin' go.

I’ve been playing Marvel Snap the past two days. Like The Verge attests, it’s a damn fun time.

Oh boy, the trailer for Creed III looks REAL REAL GOOD. Jonathan Majors looking like a STAR.

The new Apple TV 4K looks like a decent specs bump (and the price has dropped!), but as someone rocking a 1st-gen Apple TV 4K combined with last year’s new Siri remote, I see no need to upgrade.

The new standard iPads look nice (I dig the colors!), and both the new landscape camera and the Smart Keyboard Folio are slick, but its a shame that, at least, the M1 couldn’t come along. Also – making it so that you can still only use the 1st Gen Apple Pencil and you need a USB-C dongle to make that work, pretty weak.

Cool to see the M2 hit the new iPad Pros, but that seems to be the only notable change. You don’t get the new landscape camera, nor the new keyboard folio, basically, it’s an odd transition year for all iPads…including the iPad Air, which once again, I wonder who it’s for.

I was ready to consider trading in my 2020 iPad Pro and moving forward with a new one today, but honestly, nothing here gets me excited. Saving my money for another day.

Do I need a Steam Deck? God no. Do I want a Steam Deck? Yes. (See also: stuff like an Apple Studio Display, an Apple Studio itself, etc., etc.)

RIP G4 Take Two.

And that’s roll credits on Tunic. Now to get the manual pages I’m missing…

This might be me as a late-30’s gamer speaking, but the built-in hints for PS5 games really are great, both as a leg up for those of us with limited game time, and as a reminder of what the hell the last thing you were doing was.

This morning I learned that Ted Leo had released 3 new EP’s exclusively on Bandcamp. AND it’s Bandcamp Friday. Suffice to say, picked ‘em up.

So. This is 38.

Yes, this season of SNL will indeed be a rebuilding year, but I was the perfect audience for this spoof of the Nicole Kidman/AMC ad.

I’m still not sure if they’re going to be able to thread the needle here, but that makes two amazing trailers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Finally giving the new Death Cab for Cutie a listen today. Great album, but “Foxglove Through The Clearcut” might be the boldest step forward for them in ages. song.link/us/i/1621…

Tunic. It’s a VERY good game.

Bummed to not be going to SPX this weekend (husbandly duties call), but I hope everyone who DOES go has a great time. See you next year, I hope!

Give the railroad people what they want.

Thanks, Mgmt.

The key art for the new Zelda game is gorgeous.

I’m very concerned that the Nintendo Switch needs more JRPGs.

Fire Emblem feels like the troll option for Nintendo. I’m sure it has its audience, but I genuinely tune out. Haha

It’s almost as if that Instagram should focus on being Instagram and not being TikTok.

Nintendo Direct in the morning and a Sony State of Play in the evening. Big day for video game nerds tomorrow.

Well with last night’s reactions, I’m really gonna need to see Glass Onion, The Menu and The Fabelmans this Fall. TO THE CINEMA!~

Went to Waffle House for breakfast. Now, to nap.

A really great piece on Kate Beaton, ahead of the release of her new book Ducks, up now on Vulture.

Paul Rudd’s read of “Panda Watch” is one of my favorite under-appreciated bits from Anchorman.

The teaser for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is out! EEEEEEEEEEEE!

So I’m gonna guess…

• iPhone 14 and its variants announced today
• Pre-Order on Friday, September 9th
• iOS 16 hits on Tuesday, September 13th
• iPhone 14 available on Friday, September 16th

OK, Instagram, if you’re gonna force audio playback, I’m going to delete you.

Anyone else watching Welcome to Wrexham? What a joy of a show so far.

This is my kind of internet: a deep dive on the ubiquity of a 90’s era ad which has a line read which won’t leave your head…Sears' Air Conditioning “You’ll Call NOW” Ad.

If you, like me, enjoy the annual deluge of Fall foods, may I recommend not sleeping on the Pumpkin Spice Cream Smoothie at Wawa? Might be my sneaky favorite…

On one hand: YES! New Gorillaz album!

On the other: Not until February.

Definitely excited for this Oral History of Comic Con book coming out next week.

I wondered if anything would walk in the footsteps of Walk Hard.

I didn’t expect it to be the “Weird” Al Yankovic movie.

The Splatoon 3 Splatfest rules.

But! If you disconnect from a bout, you’re a chump, and you cause all of us to get kicked back to lobby.

Oh these are dangerously delicious.

OK, the new Fletch movie looks freaking fantastic.

It’s a movie about movies with THAT CAST and directed by Sam Mendes AND Roger Deakins on cinematography AND Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross doing the score. LETS FREAKIN GOOOOOOO

Holy Hanna that movie ruled. Tied for fav of the year so far. Damn.

FINALLY watching Top Gun: Maverick, thanks to its VOD release. What a gorgeous movie. And the sound mixing is LOUD. Dang.

Great news, the countdown to Glass Onion (aka Knives Out 2) can officially begin. It hits Netflix on December 23.

The world is absolutely bleak some days. On other days, I read stories like this and think, “There’s a way out of here, yeah?”

Props to the Bing Bong gag in She-Hulk.

Hanging out with cats on the couch, listening to podcasts. That’s a damn fine Sunday.

Y’all, I just watched the first episode of The Rehearsal and it has me all shook up. Holy wow.

Note to self: get ready to watch the launch on August 29th.

OK, so I’m not the only one looking at the August release slate and going, “There’s absolutely NOTHING in theaters.”

Shit. It’s only Tuesday, isn’t it?

Well, my weekend of awesome movies continues, as Prey absolutely ruled ass. Amber Midthunder is a STAR, and this really should’ve been BIG and LOUD in a theater.

Y’all, I could stay up all night reading people’s takes on the themes and symbolism of Nope.

Oh damn. Nope RULED! I can’t wait to watch that a billion more times.

Bullet Train is a star-studded, ultra-violent, incredibly stylish, absolute comic book of a movie. What a joy!

Last Fall, I customized one of those grey market handheld retro game systems, and got it filled with a ton of ROMs.

Now that I’m dealing with vision issues and RSI in my wrists, I’m thinking of building a RetroPie setup.

Now…where the hell do I buy a Raspberry Pi in 2022 that has them in stock for not an insane amount of money?

My To-Watch List this weekend:

• The Sandman (Netflix)
• Carter (Netflix)
• Prey (Hulu)
• Bullet Train (Theaters)

…and I still haven’t seen Thor or Nope yet!

The year is 2022. I am 37 years old. And I am enamored with a concept design for a goddamned CONTACTS app.

FYI: Licorice Pizza is now on Amazon Prime. Minus one, horrible, absolutely baffling choice, this was one of my favorite movies of last year.

Oh wow. Showtime put all 4 episodes of We Need To Talk About Cosby up on their YouTube page for free.

I’m glad someone else said it.

BRING BACK THE ERA OF THE GAMESHARK/ACTION REPLAY/GAME GENIE. Shit was fun.

Watching a movie on my MacBook. Genuinely surprised by how GOOD the speakers are on this thing.

…I should watch more movies this way when I’m bullshitting on the web.

[sigh] I guess it’s starting to look like it’s time to google “best NAS for Plex” and “best newsgroup subscriptions”, eh?

The trailer for The Banshees of Inisherin, or, “Hey! I need to re-watch In Bruges!”

Wow, I did not think that WB would can the Batgirl movie this far into production.

My tin-foil hat theory? They’re gonna can The Flash next, since both that and the Batgirl movie were going to tie together.

Universal Pictures, bless you for deciding to give Daniels all the money.

It feels a lot like a version of The Raid, with Daffy Duck cast in the lead role.

Welp, I’m totally sold on Bullet Train with Polygon’s review.

Dang. That trailer for Star Wars: Andor is looking pretty solid. Truly stunning visuals, and a vibe which makes it feel more like a prestige sci-fi drama, versus a bombastic blockbuster. Here’s hoping it’s good!

audience of 100.

audience of 500.

audience of 500.

audience of 2200.

yeah, that’s a good Otakon in the books.

Meta: Updating Their Apps To Account For Their Own Dumbass Decisions, Since 2005®

This is the version of Instagram I’ve had for a month. It sucks.

Big news, fellow Jeopardy! fans: the host moving forward is…both of ‘em.

The Marvel #SDCC panel sounds like some very odd decisions (why are the Phases split the way they are?) matched with cool sounding projects (GOTG Vol. 3, new Daredevil series) but the teaser trailer for Wakanda Forever really feels like something special.

I’ll be damned. Netflix may’ve really pulled it off with The Sandman. #SDCC2022

I don’t know how the rest of you are, but for me, when the lottery gets high enough, I buy ONE ticket.

For me, the daydreams are worth the $2.

This oral history (which contains SPOILERS) for TMNT: The Last Ronin is a great read about a great comic that I really enjoyed digging into last week. Recommend both!

This morning’s New Music Friday picks:

• Beach Bunny - Emotional Creature
• Jack White - Entering Heaven Alive
• Standards - Fruit Town

I appreciate the modern era of things like Twitter and Instagram specifically during events like SDCC. Otherwise, these are pipes which should get shut down.

OK D&D movie. I guess we will give you a shot. Even if you’re probably going to be a forgettable romp.

Today in Headlines which have to be AI generated: SOUJA BOY helps LIMEWIRE relaunch as NFT MARKETPLACE

Stray is a pretty rad game so far. But for our cats? It’s a religious experience.

It’s not often that I see a trailer for an action movie and go, “wait, how did they shoot that.” Then I watched the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming movie Carter. Dang.

Watched The Bob’s Burgers Movie last night. What an absolute delight.

I understand why it didn’t make a huge splash in theaters, but gosh, if you like the show (and why wouldn’t you?) spin it up on Hulu/HBO Max/VOD now.

As cynical as I am about a Lord of the Rings TV series, watching the new teaser trailer, there’s no doubt that Amazon got their money’s worth.

I’d like to thank Twitter for going down on my first day back to work after vacation. It’s like the universe wants me to focus my attention.

It’s kinda wild to me that eight years after his death, Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Countdowns are still syndicated and hit the airwaves every weekend. Classics or not.

I had heard much praise for Dicey Dungeons, but had yet to pick it up. It just came to iOS today, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t the perfect mobile game.

The new LEGO Bowser is, frankly, an incredible piece of engineering and I can’t believe it’s coming out as a general release.

An online radio station based in my backyard? I’m gonna have to give this a spin.

Just got a massive urge to go to an amusement park.

This reference is only going to hit for some, but…

Neon White is the most “I-would’ve-imported-this-for-my-Dreamcast-and-not-shut-the-hell-up-about-it” game I’ve played in a long time. This rules.

way to go, neighbors setting off fireworks outside during a severe thunderstorm

Shout out Nancy giving Ripley in Aliens vibes in the Stranger Things 4 finale.

I never had a name for this, but I can’t recommend a “Feeds Reboot” enough. Your internet experience will be better for it.

Sure, Geico’s ads are a mixed bag, but the Animal in the Attic one? That’s my jam, folks.

Provided that we make it to 2028 (😬), we might at least have Sasuke/Ninja Warrior in the Olympics to look forward to.

Running back 2002 this morning with a personal classic, Hot Rod Circuit’s At Nature’s Mercy.

Oh my gosh. These new Scott Pilgrim action figures look perfect.

The new Jimmy Eat World single is pretty damn good. New album soon, I hope?

Trying to be a better human in 2022 is correcting your own pronoun usage while catching friends up on the latest Ezra Miller drama.

I’m not smart when it comes to the economy, but it’s pretty wild how “The Great Resignation” and another recession came so close together.

In short, Street Fighter 6’s “Modern Control Mode” means one thing…I’M COMIN' BACK TO FIGHTIN' GAMES BAYBEE

Distopian doesn’t even begin to describe how bad the Meta TV ad extoling the virtues of Personalized Advertising is.

I don’t care much for JKR either, but – with today’s news about the voice cast of the LOTR Anime, I’m somewhat surprised there has not been a Harry Potter anime.

I’d imagine you could just animate the 7 books into a very long shonen series.

Heck yeah. Always excited to see more work from Genndy Tartakovsky.

And that’s it, with these last two eBay sales – minus Ring Fit Adventure (which isn’t available digitally) – I have no more physical video games.

I feel lighter.

The Instagram experience sure has gone downhill. I’m met with “suggested” auto play videos, ads for businesses nowhere near me, and everything seems to just be TikTok reposts.

I think it might be time for me to close up shop there.

“We absolutely loved Squid Game here at Netflix.”

“You got the message then, yeah?”

“Absolutely! Loud and clear! Now, we’ve got another spinoff we’d like to pitch…”

Who had “The sequel to Joker will be a musical co-starring Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn” on their 2022 Bingo Card?

OK, what platform are we all buying TMNT on?

I don’t have GamePass, my PS5 has easier/better online play, but there’s a discount on Switch…

Is it odd that, though I don’t own an Xbox, I’m gonna try to make an effort to watch the Xbox/Bethesda presentation today?

Finished Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 today. Thought they really delivered on the increased scale and scope. Looking forward to Vol. 2 on July 1st!

I love reading analysis of the rumored Roku/Netflix deal where they repeatedly forget to mention that Netflix’s resources were used to develop the first Roku, and Netflix chose to spin off the business.

Watched the first episode of Ms. Marvel. It’s a very fun little show. Exactly the type of storytelling which should be explored as a series, as opposed to a movie. Lower stakes, more heart.

After 15 years of development, we’ve got a trailer for Black Adam, and I can tell you this folks: there are movies coming out this year, and this is one of them.

Apple presented some very cool updates yesterday at WWDC (sadly, my iPad Pro is NOT an M1, so no fun new multitasking for me), but I think the coolest thing shared? The new lock screen customization.

Hope your Monday is going well. I’m here to melt your brain with this Street Fighter II acapella video.

The next Disney movie, Strange World, looks to be 100% my shit.

I think my final, last minute, long shot WWDC 2022 want is that they’re finally updating Apple News to go completely ad-free for News+ subscribers.

The Northman hit Peacock today, so go watch that ASAP if you haven’t already.

America…

Where we can’t get gun legislation…

…but we can get Morbius back in theaters.

If nothing else, the latest Sony State of Play was a win for me since they announced a release date for Tunic on PS5.

Folks, the world may literally be on fire, but!

Furiosa is finally, blissfully, in production.

Shock of shocks, sounds like Diablo Immortal is a great mobile translation absolutely handicapped by IAP.

It’s almost as if being a social media influencer is an unsustainable lifestyle.

Get your money and get out, kids.

Why yes, I did watch the surprise Bo Burnham Inside outtakes video as soon as humanly possible.

A great piece on The Verge about the special Hell that is the Kindle / ComiXology integration.

I echo the writer here, though I spend significant amounts in both stores still.

A great Washington Post piece, by way of SFGate about the new, final Norm Macdonald special which just dropped on Netflix. I look forward to watching it soon.

Just watched the first episode of Obi-Wan. My lone gripe? No concept art credits. I LOVED that on Mando/Boba.

The teaser trailer for the next Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor looks pretty good. Beyond the fact that I adored Rogue One, I love how different this feels to everything else we’ve seen thus far in the D+ series.

Folks, it’s almost as if organizing labor works.

Incredible piece on Defector today, about, well, all of this mess.

This is why I pay to support that site every year.

They had me at “Weird Al Graphic Novel”.

Not that I’m necessarily in the market any time soon, but…if one wants an electric car and NOT a Tesla, what’s the one to get?

I hate how often this Onion story is valid.

Sure, it’s the writing/directing team of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame, but the new Netflix movie The Gray Man looks like it’s going to sit right next to Red Notice in terms of being a fun, light diversion. I’ll give it a spin.

We’ve got a new Thor: Love and Thunder trailer! I really like the visuals for when Gorr appears.

The new Mission: Impossible trailer hit the web officially (after being leaked over the weekend), and it definitely looks like Tom Cruise is back to trying to die on film. Good times!

The new Amazon Prime documentary about The Kids in the Hall, Comedy Punks, is great. Weird that it’s cut into two episodes, but I can’t recommend it enough (and also, you can run it back with the new season!)

I’m not sure what it takes for Apple to get Netflix to let them add Netflix shows to the TV app queue, but I could really use it. I constantly forget things I actually want to watch on there…

I love this new Essentials Anniversaries idea on Apple Music. This is the sort of content I think of for prime MTV, just, y’know, in audio form.

The new live episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend with Bill Hader is an absolute gem.

Kind of obsessed with this new retailer I learned about, Local Vyntage. They make apparel featuring logos of defunct chain stores of different regions. (Link is for Baltimore.)

The new Marvel/Stan Lee deal reads kind of ghoulish. I sure hope it’s not what I’m thinking…

And lo, there was a She-Hulk trailer. Hits D+ in August.

Only Murders in the Building was a great show, but I’m not entirely sure about a second season. The new teaser is promising, though.

Where was this ASUS/Eva collab when I was a teen weeb?

Thanks, cats. For perhaps finding a way to save the planet.

I just want to say, I know social media is really dismissive, but I’ve enjoyed how much we’ve all rallied around being horned up for the very jacked cast of Thor: Love and Thunder. Bless.

Very big Vanity Fair story on the future plans for Star Wars today. Will be interesting to see what from here comes up at the end of the month at Celebration.

Anyone else remember when 4Chan had a yearly panel at Otakon and it was just this massive thing that drew hundreds, if not a thousand plus, into one of the Baltimore Convention Center’s ballrooms? Very weird to see the results of that domino falling…

Few things make me chuckle to myself more than the moment in all these pharmaceutical ads where they say, “Don’t take [drug you’re just now hearing about] if you’re allergic to [this new drug you’ve never heard of prior to this moment].

Disney/Pixar have announced their movie for next Summer: Elemental.

Oh holy shit. Sunny Day Real Estate are reuniting WITH THE APPLESEED CAST SUPPORTING.

Very cool new teaser trailer for Prey, the Hulu-exclusive continuation of the Predator franchise.

Emphasis on teaser.

Hm, the game list of PlayStation Plus games for the first month is pretty dang compelling. It’s not a Game Pass beater, but it could be a decent rival.

This week’s episode of The Besties is a wild listen – a completely randomized power ranking of Star Wars games. Where else are you going to hear a video game podcast shout out the Leapster?

What a stunning list of creators for Amazing Fantasy #1000. Looking forward to reading it and celebrating 60 dang years of the web-head.

It’s New Music Friday, so I am spinning the debut album from The Smile (a new band featuring Radiohead’s Thom Yorke + Johnny Greenwood). Pretty good so far!

One last, secret special filmed by Norm Macdonald? I feel like this will be something to see, for sure.

New overview trailer for Mario Strikers: Battle League.

Game looks very good graphically, and the gameplay seems fun, but only having 10 playable characters feels super small in scope, especially for a full-priced game.

LEGO has gone and done it. They’ve made an Optimus Prime model. And yes, by God, it transforms.

I know I just mentioned how good my Apple Music Favorites Mix was going, but I have to share a track with y’all. “Middle States” by the Appleseed Cast, off the EP of the same name. The end of this song absolutely rules.

I know it’s the purpose of the Apple Music Favorites Mix to be all your jams, but gosh, it’s just HITTING RIGHT today.

I don’t have the wallspace for it, but this new Batman ‘89 print by Florey is just fantastic.

EMPEROR PENGUINS ARE GOING EXTINCT? This environmental shit just got personal.

The iPod is dead. Long live the iPod.

So, uh…Facebook might…heh heh…pivot to video?

The trailer for Avatar 2 is here, and I can say definitively – it’s an Avatar movie.

oh wow, this timed Scott C. Peacemaker print is absolutely stupendous.

Now that we’ve gotten all the streaming services on board, what do we need to do to get cable networks to air movies in their proper aspect ratios?

Love, a nerd.

GREAT SNL last night. Cumberbatch was super game, and holy hell, Arcade Fire sounded fantastic. Might need to get tickets to see them at The Anthem.

I completely missed that Amazon dropped the briefest of Paper Girls teasers yesterday.

And the 14th Doctor is…

Last night, the team behind I Think You Should Leave did an event showcasing cut sketches and extended versions of favorites. Come for the extra Buff Boy details, stay for the description of the best lost SNL sketch, I dunno, ever?

Rest In Peace to one of the greatest comic artists to ever live. Safe travels, George Perez.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was some WILD shit.

This week’s Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend with John Mulaney is a gem. Gonna be doing a bad Sinatra for the rest of the day now.

The best show you may not be watching, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is getting a third season. Coffin Flop may not be a show, but this will be. Hell yes.

Happy new Arcade Fire album day. I feel like I’m going to be spinning WE quite a bit this weekend.

Netflix producing a sitcom set at Blockbuster, while being the business which killed Blockbuster is some wild stuff.

This Behind the Mac: Skywalker Sound doc is SO COOL. May the 4th be with you, y’all.

I’m far from a “stick up for the big tech company” guy, but seeing what’s going on with Netflix described as a “sinking ship” is ridiculous. Thousands, if not millions, of businesses would KILL to have the situation Netflix does in April 2022.

Proof positive that 2 years of D&D games by way of Super Art Fantasy rubbed off on me: I just backed the KickStarter for the official Blade Runner role playing game.

Well, if you needed any proof of the type of movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was going to be…here it is.

You have the Met Gala.

I have the Hellfire Gala.

We are not alike.

Did anyone actually use Podcasts on Facebook, anyway?

They had me at George Carlin HBO Documentary.

There’s a part of my lizard brain which these Marvel vs. Predator variant covers have awakened, perfectly.

That Don’t Worry Darling trailer is a showstopper.

I knew Olivia Wilde had some serious skill after Booksmart hit, but this looks like a major step up.

I didn’t have “a Large Scale Brick-Built Baby Groot replica” on my LEGO bingo card today, no.

This extended Rolling Stone interview with Sam Raimi, though designed to promote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is really just a great snapshot of where Raimi is now as a director.

I can’t really say I’m surprised to see that Almost Famous is being turned into a musical, but it also has made me feel incredibly old. 💀

Turned out to be a really lovely day today, the wife and I helped my mom out with some shopping and yard supplies, and the weather is gorgeous. More of this, Spring, more of this.

I guess Jon Watts didn’t want to make four MCU movies in a row?

What awesome and unexpected news! Blake Lively (directing) and Edgar Wright (writing) are teaming up for a film adaptation of Seconds!

Wow. For me at least, Neal Adams is my mind’s-eye version of Batman. Rest in Power.

They had me at “Moon Motorcycle”.

A pretty quiet New Music Friday for me here. Might give the new Bloc Party a spin… What are you listening to today?

It’s frankly stunning how much prediatory / spam email you get from “legal assistance” companies once you submit for a trademark.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is such an extra title for the next installment, but I’m all about it.

I’ve got the Spider-Man hardcover of these new Marvel Penguin Classic editions pre-ordered, and I’m very excited for it.

LAIKA (the awesome stop-motion animation studio) is making…a “Neo-noir”? Hell yeah, I’m in.

Sure, it’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit with different properties and a Lonely Island take, but I’m all in for this Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers movie on Disney+.

The new toys – a high-end action figure, and a die cast ship replica, respectively – from Bandai for Lightyear are really great. Why do I feel like this movie is going to surprise us?

No shocks here: The Batman 2 is happening, complete with Pattinson returning and Reeves back in the director’s chair.

Ruh-roh. This does not sound good for Fast X.

If you’re wishing for something to replace your daily Wordle (and you haven’t moved on to those dang daily movie games I can’t give up), behold! Knotwords. Hits April 28th.

Love this series of movie spoiler paintings, titled, well…Spoiler Paintings.

I suppose a new Matrix movie opened the possibility to new merchandise, but I’m still surprised to see new Matrix toys…let alone ones which are SO ADORABLE.

I sure hope that the announcer for the A’s throws to the cats to do a big cheer in the later innings.

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR YOUR OAKLAND A’S, YOU FOUR-LEGGED FREELOADERS!”

It was only a matter of time before Charm City got in on the action, I guess.

Hell yes.

I am incredibly lucky to not have a Krispy Kreme location near me.

Great news for a Friday morning. Splatoon 3 hits on September 9, 2022.

LEGO just announced a high-end version of Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, releasing May 4th. I know that if I buy one of these, I’m going to want many of these.

I have terrible news: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been moved from October 2022 to June 2023.

I am way too hyped about the debut album from The Smile.

Fast X. Bless us all.

If nothing else, playing The Box Office Game every day has underlined to me how diverse the top 5 used to be, versus what plays well in theaters now.

Here’s a free thought for Netflix. In addition to considering ad-supported plans, maybe make 4K available to everyone without needing additional payments, like every other streaming service? Just a thought…

Maybe the second try is the charm for Amy Henning to get to make a Star Wars game.

Once again, I’d like to call upon Capcom to make a Power Stone collection for Nintendo Switch.

Oh cool, it looks like the official Nintendo Switch Game Boy Advance emulator has leaked.

As someone who spends wayyyyy too much money on Apple products + services, I’d just like to say:

I’d love for that money to go towards a company which officially acknowledges and supports a union for their retail employees, if not the business at large.

They’re gonna make a Streets of Rage movie? I don’t know what it would be…beyond a 90 minute long action scene.

But that worked for The Raid and The Raid 2, so, maybe this will be an all-timer.

Things I learned today:

1. There was a Super Mario Bros. anime in 1986.
2. It was difficult to see / obtain
3. Someone not only got a copy, but restored it to 4K and uploaded it to YouTube.

Enjoy.

Loving the first teaser for Thor: Love and Thunder. The shot of Jane at the end rules, but I’d imagine the internet was losing their mind at seeing Thor in a Taika Watiti directed movie where he’s on a…pirate ship? Even briefly?

Great news: If you were waiting for streaming – which is completely understandable – The Batman is now available on HBO Max and the VOD providers of your choice.

Possibly a day early, because I can’t imagine 9am Sunday is when they’d want to announce them, LEGO has revealed their full line of collectible The Muppets mini-figures on their Facebook.

I’m gonna have to order a case, aren’t I?

I think half of why I watch Bar Rescue is to see if THIS is the episode where Jon Taffer has the massive heart attack which causes him to finally chill out.

Wrapping up the wild three-part Steven Seagal series on The Dollop.

If you think you know the story, it’s only the beginning. First part is here.

Just heard the new Holy Fuck track, “Ninety Five”. Definitely could be an outtake from nine inch nails' Ghosts sessions. That’s a good thing.

(Shout out Sirius XM’s #DL15 for the heads up on this track.)

Oh boy. LinkedIn Ghostwriters are a thing now.

At least it’s not another photo of a homeless person that a CEO posts about giving a shot, right?

However long it’s going to take to subtitle / release Shin Ultraman in the United States already isn’t fast enough. Cannot wait to see Anno go wild here, if the new trailer is any indication.

Cool to see that TheYetee got the rights to do an exclusive Godzilla vs. Kong run. That Chibi Kings shirt is a TEN.

Enjoying the new Flock of Dimes b-sides/rarities/demos compilation this morning. What are you listening to?

A Kirby shopping bag. Admit it, you need it.

I’m a sucker for a good Batman: The Animated Series print. This one is no different.

Love this Fellowship of the Ring-themed LEGO Diorama.

Not sure how long this is going to stay up, but someone on Reddit has a high-quality image of Keaton’s Batman from The Flash.

I love how it looks like a natural extension of the Batman Returns costume.

Looking for a fun iOS game? Night Skate is just $3.

Awesome Game Boy homage graphics, addictive gameplay and nice chip tune soundtrack. Recommended.

Oh, rad! These deals are perfectly timed, as I’m working to move my Nintendo Switch library to digital.

Happy to see Netflix finally using the native tvOS video player.

They give you these standardized options for a reason, y’all. Just makes life easier.

Crimes of the Future, the new David Cronenberg movie. Sure to be all sorts of creepy when it drops later this year. Not sure if I’ll have the stomach for it.

The new LEGO botantical sets are genuinely cool.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Twitter.

hello there, internet.

www.youtube.com/watch

Nintendo.com:

So, basically this seems to take the lessons learned from Nintendo Labo and Super Mario Maker and apply them to actual full-on game design.

And, they’re sneaking it out on June 11th for $30.

You so sneaky, Nintendo.

www.youtube.com/watch

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s original feature film “Luca" is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa (“La Luna") and produced by Andrea Warren (“Lava,“ “Cars 3"), “Luca" releases June 18 on Disney+.

In a word? Lush.

A little bummed that my vaccinated butt won’t be able to see this in a theater proper, but you better believe I’ll be streaming it on Disney+ this June.

EDIT: Hey, there’s a poster now, too.

www.youtube.com/watch

Premieres April 29 only on Netflix.

Starring Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), with a score by Flying Lotus. Could be dope!

Six Colors:

For years, Apple has been a leader in user automation. AppleScript was an early attempt to demystify scripting for a lay audience; Automator was sold as an easy building-block interface for performing tasks; and Shortcuts on iOS brought a modern sensibility to Automator’s premise.

The problem is that today, everything about user automation on Apple’s platforms is fractured. On the Mac, the technologies feel old-fashioned, adrift, and increasingly unsupported. On iOS, Shortcuts has some weaknesses and an every-app-for-itself mindset prevails. And between the two platforms there’s no connectivity at all.

This has to change.

Great piece by Jason Snell, getting into how AppleScript laid down the framework of what Shortcuts can do over on iOS, and how badly macOS needs to have Shortcuts come to that platform.

As someone who makes regular use of Shortcuts (in fact, many posts on this site were generated with Shortcuts), I could not agree more.

Variety:

The first “Knives Out" was produced by Media Rights Capital. It was distributed by Lionsgate, going on to earn $311.4 million on a $40 million budget. Johnson was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay. It was not immediately clear who benefits from the massive windfall, as MRC is said by sources to have acquired the rights to the material from Johnson and his producing partner Ram Bergman.

As someone who has been a massive fan of Rian Johnson’s work since he first saw Brick, and absolutely adored the world of Benoit Blanc we got our first glimpse into with Knives Out, I am absolutely stunned.

I was just commenting about how so much of the Netflix original library leaves me cold, and now, here we are, two movies I definitely want to see.

I’m so damned excited for these movies. Get PAID, Rian!

www.youtube.com/watch

When we last heard about this movie, it was called Connected and was due for a Fall 2020 theatrical release.

Now back to its original title, The Mitchells vs. the Machines still looks great, but now it’ll be hitting Netflix in just about a month.

I’m in.

PR Newswire:

Look at that image. And that’s the “appetizing" image they went with. I mean, what an absolute car crash of a me….

Wait a second.

Alfonso Ribeiro?!

THEY GOT CARLTON UP IN THIS?!

I AM THERE.

www.youtube.com/watch

Premieres on May 4th with an extended episode, then new episodes every Friday starting on May 7th.

Apple Newsroom:

No big surprise here. Honestly, I think the online format of their conferences as of late has treated Apple quite well.

www.youtube.com/watch

LET’S GO

Publishers Weekly:

The two companies have signed an exclusive, worldwide multi-year sales and distribution agreement for Marvel’s comics—including individual issues, trade collections, and graphic novels both newly published and backlist—to the direct market. PRHPS officially begins its distribution to direct market retailers for Marvel titles on October 1. The move marks a major change in the U.S. comics distribution market, which Diamond Comic Distributors has long dominated.

Unreal! I mean, DC Comics made a similar move last year, moving all distribution in house, but Diamond has had such a monopolistic lock on the comic book industry that I am absolutely stunned such a change has occurred.

Wonder what this means for the longevity of the brick-and-mortar comic store…

Deadline:

The game is developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and centers around samurai warrior Jin Sakai, the last surviving member of his clan, who must set aside the traditions that have shaped him as a warrior to wage an unconventional war for the freedom of Tsushima.

Ghost of Tsushima was one of my favorite games of last year, and was an absolute love letter to Japanese samurai films, so when you add one of the best action directors going today, I’m very excited.

Now, will it break the curse of bad video game movies? Too early to say…but all the right tools are there.

Update: Now Sucker Punch Productions Game Director Nate Fox has chimed in with some notes on the movie:

Yes folks, I’ve decided to bring it back. And what way to bring it back.

PepsiCo Press Release:

Marshmallow cola. Fuck outta here.

Variety:

Dr. Fate, also known as Kent Nelson, is a founding member of the Justice Society who gains superpowers through putting on the magical Helmet of Fate. The casting of Brosnan completes the lineup for the Justice Society of America, with Aldis Hodge playing Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher and Quintessa Swindell taking on Cyclone.

“Black Adam" follows the story of the anti-hero of the same name, played by Johnson. The character of Black Adam first appeared in DC Comics in the 1940s as a power-corrupt villain, and slowly became an anti-hero by the 2000s, known for his disregard of rules and conventions.

For those not super familiar with DC Comics ephemera, here’s a quick analogy:

Dr. Fate is to DC Comics what Doctor Strange is to Marvel Comics 1

All that being said, I refuse to believe that Black Adam or The Flash (which also had casting, er, re-casting news today) is a real movie until it’s actually playing in front of me.

The Hollywood Reporter:

Fukunaga will direct a feature adaptation of cyberpunk Image comic series Tokyo Ghost for Legendary.

Tokyo Ghost is set in 2089 when humanity has become fully addicted to technology as an escape from reality. The story follows peacekeepers Debbie Decay and Led Dent, who are working in the Isles of Los Angeles and are given a job that will take them to the last tech-free country on Earth: the garden nation of Tokyo.

Rick Remender, whose series Fear Agent is currently being developed by Seth Rogen’s Point Grey for Amazon, and Sean Gordon Murphy, who is behind the Chrononauts comic that is set for adaptation at Netflix, are behind Image series. Remender, who previously worked with the Russo brothers as co-creator and co-showrunner on SyFy series Deadly Class, is set to pen the Legendary project.

Let’s just hope they get Murphy’s eye for cool technologies and vehicles JUST right on this adaptation!

Deadline:

The project, from the films’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer and original writers Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, is a reimagining of the National Treasure franchise. Written by the Wibberleys and to be directed by Mira Nair (Vanity Fair), the series explores the timely issues of identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism, told from the point of view of Jess Morales, a twenty-year-old DREAMer who, with her diverse group of friends, sets off on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover her mysterious family history and recover lost treasure.

Dope! I love those movies.

www.youtube.com/watch

Very close to making me consider going to the theater.

That said, just let me know when that 4K remaster is up on iTunes.

Rocket League:

We’re hard at work on this free mobile game for iOS and Android that takes the core, competitive gameplay of Rocket League and reimagines it for a mobile device. In Rocket League Sideswipe, players compete from a new perspective on the field in 1v1 or 2v2 matches. Games will be fast-paced, 2-minute matches that you can play with friends near or far thanks to online play.

www.youtube.com/watch

Looks fun enough. Now let us hope the free-to-play elements aren’t too cringeworthy.

www.youtube.com/watch

Anna Kendrick? Check! Space movie? Check!

Yeah, I’ll see you in April, Netflix.

Deadline:

What the hell, why not.

Variety:

All that is to say Disney has massively overhauled its upcoming slate and amended release plans for “Black Widow,“ “Cruella,“ Pixar’s “Luca" and several others.

Short version:

Must be fun running a movie studio right now.

As mentioned in an article on Deadline discussing the re-opening of Regal Cinemas:

So, if I’m to read through the lines here, the plan with the 2022 release slate is:

Enjoy those direct-to-HBO Max movies while you can, gang, the genie is going back in the bottle. As well it should, IMO — can’t recoup a $300 Million blockbuster with streaming money.

Bloomberg Japan:

The new Switch iteration will support Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS, a novel rendering technology that uses artificial intelligence to deliver higher-fidelity graphics more efficiently. That will allow the console, which is also set for an OLED display upgrade, to reproduce game visuals at 4K quality when plugged into a TV, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan is not public.

The U.S. company’s new chipset will also bring a better CPU and increased memory. DLSS support will require new code to be added to games, so it’ll primarily be used to improve graphics on upcoming titles, said the people, including multiple game developers. Bloomberg News previously reported that the new Switch is likely to include a 7-inch OLED screen from Samsung Display Co. and couple the console’s release with a bounty of new games.

Day one. There’s not a system on the market I like more than the Switch, and these enhancements sound exactly what the system needs for a nice refresh.

Now, about that JoyCon drift…

Deadline:

“Hey Seth? Steven Spielberg here.“ “Y-yeah? Hi!“ “Wanna play my cool Uncle?“ “[stoner giggle]“ “…“ “Yeah man! I’ll play your Uncle.“

Nintendo Japan Press Release:

The app is scheduled to launch globally later in 2021, with Niantic as the publisher. The title will also be the first title created by Niantic Tokyo Studio, Niantic’s development studio established in April 2018.

That’s all we know now.

I do have to say, it’s very refreshing to see them not go the obvious route (Pokemon Go 2!) and instead move forward with one of Nintendo’s sleeper franchises in Pikmin.

I wonder if they can catch even an essence of the lighting in a bottle which was Pokemon Go.

The Verge:

For nearly two decades, “Xbox Live" has been the name of online play for Xboxes.

The new name isn’t bad, and all and all, Xbox Network and Xbox Game Pass are way better titles than PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. 1

GamesBeat:

Two sources familiar with the matter said that Discord is exploring its options for a sale in the wake of interest from multiple parties that want to buy the company. And one source said the company has signed an exclusive acquisition discussion with one party, meaning it is in final negotiations about a sale. This news comes after Discord raised $140 million in December at a $7 billion valuation (based on data found by Prime Unicorn Index).

I’m definitely concerned about…

I know, it’s the way tech goes, but gosh, I wish a tech company would just aim at being sustainable/profitable and not exiting as a Unicorn.

Update: Per Bloomberg, the suitor is Microsoft.

Variety:

Anecdotally, a few friends reported having issues loading content on Disney+ on Friday morning, which certainly lines up with this.

That said? I feel like there was a much bigger conversation about The Mandalorian and WandaVision.

I guess we will have to see what the next 5 weeks of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier have in store for us.

AIPT!:

The book will contain tips, techniques, and more focused on digital comic book lettering. Given Piekos’ work at Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, Oni Press, and more he has plenty to share.

True story, I once really wanted to become a comic letterer. Even got to do it on the amateur level for a while.

Piekos’ is truly one of the best at his craft, so good, you probably haven’t considered how great he is, so this is sure to be a great read for creators and fans alike.

From a write up that Erik Shilling at Jalopnik did about trying to watch older seasons of Top Gear 1 on Amazon Prime:

He’s not wrong, that’s how it is.

I — personally — have been trying to combat this by purchasing favorite movies and TV shows 2, but this is the issue everyone’s trying to crack.

I can’t help but feel like if Apple TV Channels or Amazon’s Channel formats were more widely accepted, each provider would offer some crazy “omni-pass" for a price just under the combined total of say, 5 of them together, but alas, we’re not there.

…and I don’t think an “Apple-Music-or-Spotify-for-movies-and-television" is on it’s way, gang…

www.youtube.com/watch

What a gorgeous looking movie. I’m there.